


Two Years On

by when_you_know_you_know



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: F/F, Falling In Love, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Love Confessions, True Love, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-28
Updated: 2018-11-05
Packaged: 2018-11-20 15:46:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 58
Words: 199,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11338506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/when_you_know_you_know/pseuds/when_you_know_you_know
Summary: A BeChloe fic following The Barden Bella's on their European Tour:Beca is still being irritated by the nickname 'Bhloe'. Chloe still harbours deep feelings for her best friend, despite denying it. Fat Amy won't stop teasing them. And Aubrey is still concerned about Chloe's welfare.Nothing too angsty, but not too fluffy either.Characters are written to be as similar to the characters in the movies as possible.My impression of what could happen in PP3* (*written prior to the release of the first trailer by Universal)Paragraphs in flashbacks are always written in italics.





	1. The Lock of Hair

_The hustle and bustle of downtown New York City was in full flow as tourists milled about, getting in the way of residents and workers of The Big Apple. One of those residents was a petite brunette who had just left the office block of a successful music production company 'Residual Heat'. The young woman strode along the concrete to a beat, weaving between the tourists and fellow busy office workers, as she hummed along to the song she was listening to on Spotify through her headphones. Unbeknown to her, a few paces behind her scurried a overdressed man and woman, one holding a handheld TV camera, the other a boom mic. Gail Abernathy-McKadden and John Smith. These two were the American presenters, podcast creators and now documentary filmers of the accapella world. And the young woman they were following, or more trying to stop, was one of the most successful collegiate accapella captains in US history, Beca Mitchell. The presenters had begun filming a documentary that charted the successful captain and her fellow team members, The Barden Bellas, two years after successfully becoming world champions of the accapella world. Their hope was to interview each of the women before following them through their upcoming European Celebration Tour. A tour that none of the Bella's were aware of yet._

_Beca paced on ahead, before pushing her way through the door of a large coffee shop. Unfortunately for the presenters it was at this very moment they had lost sight of the petite woman, instead dashing on past the coffee shop, breathlessly muttering how she couldn't have got too far ahead. Beca meanwhile paused as she entered the busy coffee shop, pulling her headphones out of her ears whilst scanning the room for someone. She began to wander through the shop, past the queue, and past the coffee bar, "Morning Beca!" one barista called out to her cheerfully which Beca acknowledged with a pleasant grin, before the other two barista's looked up from their coffee making and granted her the same cheery greeting which Beca also acknowledged. She was yet to find a grumpy member of staff in this establishment. As she reached the end of the bar she approached the small table beside it which had two chairs around it that was rarely taken by customers because it often had files or paperwork sprawled over the table's surface. Today was no different and with a huge exhale Beca slumped into one of the seats, delicately twisting her headphones together and placing them in her pocket._

_Other than work and her actual apartment, this was the place she spent most of her time. Whether it was grabbing a coffee on her way into work, grabbing a coffee between meetings, or grabbing a coffee mid-afternoon, she was there pretty much every day._

_"Hey!" Beca heard the familiar sing-song greeting from her best friend, Chloe. She looked up to see the redhead bustle past her with an armful of full milk cartons, "how did the meeting go?" the young woman asked as she dashed behind the coffee bar to join her colleagues._

_"Not as bad as I thought," the brunette called out to her friend, trying to make herself heard over the loud rumble of the coffee grinder, "they're going to review my schedule next week and see if I actually do deserve a pay rise."_

_Chloe's head appears from behind a pillar which masks one of the coffee machines from Beca's view, and the redhead has a hopeful grin on her face, "Ooh that sounds promising!"_

_"Fingers crossed!" the brunette replied, and a smile grew on her face when she heard her best friend cheerily say that she'd be keeping her fingers AND her toes crossed._

_Beca tapped on the tiny scrap of table that wasn't covered in folders and paperwork and looked around the coffee shop. It was a hive of activity, it's location in downtown Manhattan being a prime location for business folk and tourists. Chloe had worked here since they had moved to the city almost eighteen months ago, using this job as a way of having a steady income while she auditioned for different on/off-Broadway theatre roles and volunteered at a small theatre school for underprivileged kids near to their apartment in Brooklyn. Beca meanwhile had been offered a promotion with the company she'd interned with in her final year of college, Residual Heat, and now worked within the production team at their new headquarters in downtown Manhattan._

_"Chloe take your break while Beca's still here" the coffee shop's team leader called out to the redhead, to which Chloe responded unconfidently "Are you sure?" Beca knew her best friend well, and knew that she always felt guilty if it was her turn to go on her break while there was a queue of customers waiting to be served. But Beca had to admit there was rarely a time when there wasn't a queue of customers, the staff needed to go on their breaks._

_After another moment of persuasion, Chloe finally relented, and began to make her way from behind the bar and towards the back of the shop, two coffee cups in hand. Beca saw the redhead turn to wink at her with one of her infectious smiles and the brunette got up from the table, following Chloe to a door that led to the back of the building. This was their routine. Pretty much every day of the week, meetings permitting, the two best friends would sneak out the back of the coffee shop and sit on the brick steps that led from the back of the coffee shop to the alleyway that ran along the back of the building. It was usually just mid-morning, though on occasion it would be mid-afternoon too. And the two would sit and drink coffee while talking about how their days were going so far as well as plenty of random conversations that neither of them knew how they were started but were always entertaining enough._

_The funny thing was, no matter how often they saw each other, and being housemates it was guaranteed everyday, they never ran out of conversation. Ever! Even with Beca's often standoffish nature, Chloe seemed to have this way about her that meant even the hard-nosed brunette had a hard time remaining quiet. The brunette's stressful and hectic job meant that she often felt the weight of the world on her shoulders, which is why she relished these spare 45 minutes she could use to dash out of work and down the street to grab a coffee with her bubbly best friend. Her happy nature, while it had often irritated Beca back in college, now became the lifeline in keeping her sane._

_When Chloe had gone to her family's lake house over Christmas time, leaving Beca alone in the apartment for a week before she popped back to her fathers for Christmas Day, Beca had been surprised at how much she missed her best friend. The apartment had been so quiet without her spontaneous burst into song and the brunette had to admit, she'd missed the affection that Chloe so often gave her. No curling up on the sofa in front of Netflix while they ate ice cream, no random post-it notes of encouragement left in her satchel, no moments where Beca would sit on the floor of their lounge with her laptop while Chloe insisted on practicing her plaiting technique. The moment the redhead had returned Beca had immediately chucked her arms around her telling her she was never to leave again, in the best way that Beca knew how, unemotionally._

_"So if you were given the choice of eating one meal for the rest of your life, and it's the ONLY thing you're allowed to eat, what would it be?"_

_This was a classic Chloe question and Beca furrowed her brow with a small smile. If Chloe wasn't eagerly asking every question possible about something in Beca's life, then she was asking quirky hypothetical questions instead. Beca paused as she swirled her coffee around in her cup, looking ahead of her at a male pigeon that was trying to attract a female pigeon beside him. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Chloe looking at her intently. If this had been six years ago Beca would've felt far too uncomfortable with this unnecessary attention, but having known Chloe for six years now the brunette was used to the redhead's glances. Since moving to NY eighteen months ago the two had been inseparable. "A survival technique" Chloe's Dad had once joked to them, stating that moving to a brand new city miles and miles from family and friends is terrifying and intimidating, but not if your best friend moves with you._

_"I know what you'd choose." Beca felt Chloe lean towards her with a quick nudge before leaning back and the brunette finally turned back to her best friend, her eyebrows raised and a curious grin on her face, "oh you do?"_

_"Uhuh"_

_"You do…"_

_"I do."_

_"You do?"_

_"Yes!" The redhead laughs out loud and for a moment Beca's heart skips a beat. She takes a moment to notice her bright blue eyes sparkling with joy and excitement. She sees Chloe's lips part as she whispers, "Spag Bol!"_

_Beca holds her hands up in surrender and grins. Sometimes she can't believe how well this girl knows her, "totally Spag Bol" she concedes. Chloe throws her fist in the air in triumph which makes Beca roll her eyes with a coy grin, "you're such a weirdo" but just as she's about to ask Chloe what meal she'd choose she hears fast clicking if heels approach behind them and the two women are stunned to see the familiar faces of John & Gail, gazing down at them breathlessly, with a camera and boom mic. Beca's heart drops._

The Spanish sun was beating down on the light terrace at the back of a large hotel, and sat on one of the available sun loungers which overlooked the lush green garden behind the hotel was Beca. Under the parasol that protected her porcelain skin from the sun's harsh rays, she sat crossed-legged, peering at the screen of her Macbook before her. Her headphones lay around her neck as she attempted to type some lyrics to a new song that she was yet to find a decent melody for.

After the huge success of their American tour two years ago, Beca and the rest of her old college acapella group, the Barden Bellas, were just beginning the first part of their European tour. Rehearsals were due to start tomorrow, for now it was a case of waiting for all the old Bella's to make it over to Spain. Two years post-graduation meant that a lot of the old Bella's were now spread across the globe, living and working far away from the simple life that had once been provided for them at Barden University. However, the wonders of modern technology had meant that the Bella's had always been able to keep in contact through a group-chat on WhatsApp. For now, the only members of the group who had made it to Spain so far were Beca, Fat Amy, and Chloe; with Aubrey, Cynthia-Rose, Ashley, Jessica, Lily, and Flo due to arrive in the coming hours. Stacie, having rose to fame within the past year as a successful model, was joining the group tomorrow fresh from a photoshoot that she was attending in Cannes.

After graduation Fat Amy had returned to her home-country of Australia, and had since become a successful wildlife presenter of the TV show 'Wrestling Crocs and Dingos'. She had been eager to begin the European Tour, and had ended up grabbing the soonest flight to Spain, arriving two days early.

After graduating Beca and Chloe had both managed to get jobs in NYC and as a consequence had decided that the only way they could afford to live there was by living together. They had ended up renting a small apartment in an okay part of the city (the perk of Chloe's wealthy parents and Beca's relatively good graduate job for a well-known record company). They had arrived in Spain the previous evening, greeted warmly by Fat Amy who was thrilled to see them arrive together. Something that had made Beca feel uncomfortable. Beca was lucky to have been travelling with Chloe, and may not have made the flight in time if it hadn't been for Chloe's highly organised, laminated itinerary of times and travel details.

 

" _Beca!" The brunette stirred at the sound of her name being yelled from outside her bedroom door. The owner of the voice out in the hallway thudded loudly against the door. "Beca time to get your butt out of bed! Our taxi will be here in an hour!" Beca brought a hand up to her face and rubbed her eyes with a sigh before reluctantly pulling the bed covers from over her toasty, warm body. She groaned as she dragged her bones out of her bed and shuffled over to the door where the banging continued. As she opened the door, the owner of the voice and banging stopped in her tracks, a bright smile glistening across her face._

_"How are you ready already?" Beca mumbled as she looked at her housemate who stood before her. Chloe was dressed in the outfit she had spent far too long yesterday evening deciding over. Beca had told her the best one just to shut her up, especially as she couldn't see the point in having a 'travel outfit'._

_"I've been up since 4." The redhead said cheerily. Of course she had. Beca should've known her best friend would have been up 2 hours before it was necessary. "You've only got an hour before the taxi gets here and you still have to shower, and have breakfast!" Chloe said in a bossy tone. There was no way they were going to be late._

_"Aaand pack…" Beca said, screwing her face up apologetically, waiting for the inevitable reaction from the redhead whose expression dropped, "What? Beca, you told me last night you'd finished packing!" Beca turned on the spot and began walking back into her bedroom to search for her suitcase, "No, I said that I'd almost finished packing…" she said as she knelt down on the messy carpet floor and reached under her bed._

_She heard Chloe follow her, "But you haven't even started packing!" Beca rolled her eyes as she pulled the suitcase she'd used during their American Tour out from under her bed. She could sense from Chloe's tone of voice that she was beginning to panic, "Oh my God, we're going to miss our flight!"_

_"We're not going to miss our flight Chlo…"_

_"Yes we are! We're going to have to cancel the taxi which means we'll miss our flight which means we'll have to rebook our flight, rebook our transfer in Spain, and maybe even miss the tour rehearsal-"_

_"Chloe!" Beca called out loudly at her housemate, making the redhead immediately stop talking, "We're not going to be late…" as she spoke she unzipped her suitcase, "…because I packed yesterday." A wide grin grew on her face, but Chloe didn't see the funny side, her face widening as she processed what the brunette had said. The room fell silent as Chloe steadied her panicked breathing, and Beca saw her look down at the full contents of the opened suitcase. In a matter of moments Chloe had lunged at Beca, smacking her lightly on the arm, "Beca! It's too early to be pranking me!"_

_Beca chuckled as the redhead stormed out of the room telling her to have a shower. Since moving to NY the two had had a private pranking-war. And the moment Beca had found out about the European Tour she immediately decided she would prank Chloe by pretending that she hadn't packed. With a grin she pulled her suitcase up onto her bed, then made her way out of her room and into the bathroom. It was going to be a long day and she was almost certain that this wouldn't be the only time today that she and Chloe would fall out over something._

"Is this sun lounger taken?" Beca heard the familiar Australian drawl ask confidently beside her. She turned to see Fat Amy not even wait for a reply, and instead happily lay out on the lounger next to her with a relaxed sigh. The blonde woman had already boasted that she didn't need a parasol to block out the sun. The perks of her skin being used to the Australian heat apparently. "Hey I'm sorry to hear about you and Jesse."

Beca resumed her attention on her Macbook but gave a shrug. Hearing his name felt weird. It was as though the three and a half years she had been with him had been unnecessary. It had fizzled out into nothing. The downward spiral had occurred the moment they had graduated. Both had had to return to their home towns, which unfortunately meant they were having to travel across two states to see each other. Mix in the additional time that Beca had been away on the American Tour with the Bella's, by the time Beca had got the very lucky position at a record label in NYC, Jesse and her were barely talking. She'd FaceTime'd him to tell him the good news, that they could move to NY like they'd always planned to do with LA, but Jesse had used that opportunity to suggest they break up instead. He encouraged her to pursue her dream while he continued working on his Uncle's ranch. An amicable breakup, but a difficult one. Now, nineteen months on, hearing his name mentioned seemed alien to Beca and it surprised her that he was even being brought up in conversation. She had hoped that the message she'd sent to the Bella's on WhatsApp had covered all the information necessary, but clearly Fat Amy felt obliged to say something.

"It's cool. I mean the chances of a college relationship lasting post-graduation is low so… I guess our breakup was pretty inevitable." She said with a shrug, squinting at the screen in front of her, hoping that it was enough of a hint that she didn't want Fat Amy to continue. But the hint was not picked up.

"Sooo… you got your eyes on anyone else?" Beca felt a lump form in her throat. She knew that tone. That was Amy's 'I know I'm being inappropriate here but' tone of voice. She used to hear that tone a lot during college. Especially when Amy tried to tell her how into her Chloe seemed to be.

" _Would you keep your voice down?!" Beca said as she sat on her bed, darting her eyes towards the top of the stairs that led to their twin-room in the roof of the Bella's house. Fat Amy poked her head out of their shared walk-in closet. "What?" the Australian asked innocently, though she had a mischievous grin on her face, "Oh come on, you can't tell me that the past four years you've been in the Bella's you've never noticed the way Chloe looks at you!"_

_Beca could feel the heat rising in her cheeks with embarrassment. Of course she'd noticed. But Chloe was always like that. She always held eye contact when she spoke to someone. She mostly always smiled enthusiastically. And so what if she'd just so happened to see Chloe glancing at her from time to time? That was how Chloe had always been, and how she would probably always be._

_"Dude I'm serious," Beca hissed at her roommate, "shut up! She's gonna end up walking up those stairs in a minute to ask us if we want to watch a movie!" Thursdays was always movie night in the Bella's house, something that Chloe had happily organised the moment her fellow Bella's had moved into this house three years ago. Sure enough, the familiar voice of Chloe hollered up the stairs to the inhabitants, "movie night! T-minus ten minutes!" And Beca glared at the Australian, before sliding off her bed and making her way over to the stairs. "Careful Bec, you don't want to seem too keen!" Amy teased as her roommate held a finger up at her angrily before wandering slowly down the stairs._

Beca tentatively shook her head and sighed, "I don't have time to be looking for someone else."

"Not even for someone saaay with long red hair, blue eyes, and a dazzling smile? Someone who you share an apartment with maybe?" There it was. Beca felt her heartrate increase. She couldn't tell if it was because she was embarrassed or nervous or just annoyed that Fat Amy still clung to the idea that she and Chloe would make the perfect couple. "Dude…" the brunette glared at her friend who had sat up on the sun lounger with an innocent expression.

"What?" the Australian protested, "Oh come on! She's high maintenance, highly organized, bubbly and anxious. You're low maintenance, sloppy, moody and laid back. You're perfect for each other! Bhloe forever!" Beca rolled her eyes at the final comment. Amy had come up with the clever nickname for Beca and Chloe in their final year of college, one that she took great pride in. Beca hadn't had a chance to see the reaction on Chloe's face to the Australian's nickname when she'd announced it to the group during a boot camp that the Bella's had been attending. The two had never mentioned it though, and Beca wondered if Chloe had forgotten about it – though it was something like that which the redhead would purposefully remember. Chloe liked sickly-sweet things like a nickname.

"She's my best friend!" Beca protested. The whole reason why they were best friends is because they were exactly how Fat Amy had described. Complete opposites! And yet somehow, it just worked. They were able to share an apartment no problem, with the odd squabble here and there.

"Okay, ouch.." the Australian said sarcastically.

"One of my best friends," the brunette quickly rectified. Fat Amy hated the idea that she wasn't Beca's best friend, "Just because you've made up a nickname for us does not mean that we are meant to be together!" she hadn't meant to sound so annoyed, nor had she meant to say her words so loudly, but it hadn't seemed to affect the woman sat on the sun lounger beside her.

"Exactly! You're best friends! So you've already done the hard work!"

Beca rolled her eyes again, shaking her head slightly with a sigh before resuming her attention on her Macbook, though she struggled as the terrace fell silent. All that could be heard was the light Spanish breeze that drifted through the trees, but Beca could feel her friend's eyes on her and soon the Australian continued, "I'm serious, you guys have always worked well together leading the Bella's. Now you're both out of college and single I think you would really work well together…sexually."

Beca almost threw up as Fat Amy emphasised the last word in a low tone whilst making a 'peace sign' with both hands, then entwining the fingers of both hands. "Dude! Inappropriate!" Beca hissed incredulously, but before either woman could say anything else, she noticed her housemate walking out onto the terrace behind Fat Amy.

"What are you guys talking about?" Chloe asked sweetly, and Beca could feel the heat rising in her cheeks again. She couldn't possibly know about this conversation. She should never know. "Nothing" Beca said immediately, relieved to hear Fat Amy say the same thing at the same time. She noticed Chloe narrow her eyes slightly with an intrigued grin but chose to shrug it off instead. In her hand held a pair of wireless hair straighteners. Something that she had dubbed 'the future', though Beca could never see how.

"Would you mind straightening my hair at the back? You know, that wavy lock of hair that I can never seem to reach?" Beca heard her housemate, and as of yesterday her roommate, ask her. Beca had become a bit of a pro when it came to straightening that particularly wild lock of red hair. She could never understand why Chloe was so insistent that it be straightened, after all she had so much hair anyway that it easily covered that area of her head, and some. But no, Chloe would always swan into Beca's room and ask that she straighten that one lock of hair for her. She'd been doing it every other day for almost eighteen months now. A total pro.

However, just as Beca nodded at Chloe, Fat Amy stood up with a sigh, "Alright, alright, I'll do it Chlo, no need to pressure me." And Beca couldn't help but smirk at the surprised expression on her best friend's face as Fat Amy took the straighteners from Chloe and told her to take a seat. The redhead walked over to Beca, landing gently on the other half of her sun lounger.

The two women sat opposite each other, legs crossed, knees touching, and Beca slung her laptop onto the ground beside them whilst trying not to notice how intently Chloe appeared to be looking at her. Fat Amy was wrong, this was how Chloe looked at everyone. Right?

Beca grinned as she looked back at the redhead sat before her. She didn't want to miss a moment of this. Right now she could easily bet that Chloe would pull several terrified faces, and that Fat Amy would also be pulling some funny faces of her own. Beca took a moment as she sat opposite her best friend to notice the trail of freckles that had already begun to wind their way around the bridge of Chloe's nose. The brunette felt an unexpected skip of her heartbeat as she noted just how beautiful her best friend looked when her freckles were out. The Australian crouched behind Chloe muttering something about how she'd expected the redhead to sit on the sun lounger she'd been sitting on, but the two women on the sun lounger didn't appear to really notice what she had said.

Chloe pulled an 'eek' sort of expression as she felt Fat Amy bring the straighteners towards the lock of hair that needed taming, an expression that made Beca laugh quietly. But not so quietly that Chloe hadn't heard, and the redhead slapped her playfully on the thigh, letting out a grin of her own. Beca gulped, the feel of her best friend's brief touch on her thigh tingled, and she realised that Chloe had locked her bright blue eyes with hers. She was feeling awkward. Nervous even. But as she had said a million times before, Chloe held eye-contact. That was her thing. It didn't mean what Fat Amy desperately wanted it to mean.

Speaking of Fat Amy, Beca noticed her freeze behind the redhead's back, letting out a quiet "oops". Beca's eyes widened as she saw their Australian friend pull away the straighteners that had a lock of wild red hair attached to it. Shit.

Naturally, Chloe began to panic at the sound of Amy's reaction, "Oops? What do you mean oops? Oh my God what's happened?" Beca felt her housemate grab her hands and squeeze them tight, terrified as she stared at her to try to read her expression of the situation. Beca didn't know what to do other than to gawp at Fat Amy.

"Nothing, nothing… er… it's just I may have accidentally… singed that lock of hair off your head." The Australian confessed, tugging the hair from its captor.

"WHAT?!" The redhead exclaimed, and she turned her head quickly to see Fat Amy holding the lock of hair in her hand apologetically, "Oh my God!"

Beca knew that tone better than she knew that tone Fat Amy used when mentioning 'Bhloe'. Chloe's tone was one she had used often over the years Beca had known her. It was her freaking out tone. "Chloe, chill…" the brunette began but her housemate turned back to her, her face screwed up as tears began to build making her eyes look like they were sparkling, "How the hell am I supposed to chill Beca? Amy's just pulled a chunk of my hair out of my head!"

"Singed…" Fat Amy attempted to correct, but to her horror Chloe just turned to glare at her unhelpfulness, "Never mind…"

"Never mind? Never mind?! I've got a chunk of hair missing from my head!" The redhead shrieked at the Australian. Beca sighed, knowing the best way to calm her housemate was by being calm and direct. What had happened had happened and been out of her control. Chloe just needed to be reminded of that.

"Chloe, calm down okay?" the brunette said, grabbing Chloe's shoulder gently to gain her attention, "It's the back of your head and a tiny lock of hair," Chloe now had her eyes locked with Beca's again, "It'll grow back and in the meantime just…wear your hair down or something."

She couldn't help the small grin that appeared on her face as Chloe began to pout, "But I like wearing my hair up sometimes!" This wouldn't be the only thought to cross the redhead's mind over the next 24 hours when it came to this minor disaster, and Beca was mentally preparing herself for the inevitable complaints she would hear from her housemate. Particularly as they were sharing a room at this hotel for the next couple of days.

"I know," Beca sympathised kindly, reaching out and quickly stroking a lock of hair that was attached to Chloe's head, "but your hair looks really nice down. It won't be forever."

Beca could tell from Fat Amy's body language that she felt awkward, not entirely sure if she was still in trouble or not. Chloe, when stressed or under pressure, had been known to blow things out of proportion in college. She had become well known for it among the Bella's during their time at Barden University. And Chloe only became stressed when she felt out of control, or if something seemed unfair, and back then it had all been because she cared so much about the Bella's. During the three years that Beca had spent as her Co-Captain, she had come to recognise not only when Chloe was becoming stressed, but also the best ways to support her if she did. Beca of course delivered it with an 'I really don't care' attitude/tone, but deep down she did. She really did. And it always seemed to be enough to calm Chloe, or at least make her pause to think about whether she was being irrational or not.

The quick hair-stroke that Beca hadn't thought much about before, during or after doing, had all been thanks to Chloe. Prior to and throughout college Beca had always struggled with giving and receiving affection, body contact, and sharing her personal space with people. But living with a bubbly, over affectionate, over huggy, personal space-invader that had been Chloe for three years in college, ten weeks on the road for their American tour, and eighteen months in NY, meant that Beca had been worn down. She no longer screwed her nose up if Chloe laced an arm around her with a supportive/congratulatory half-hug. She no longer flinched if Chloe gently squeezed her arm to get her attention. And Beca had become used to Chloe laying her legs out on her lap while they sat on their only sofa in their small apartment while they binge-watched Gilmore Girls on Netflix of an evening. So much so that yesterday evening she had been surprised when Chloe had decided to sit on a separate armchair to Beca's sofa in the lounge area of the hotel. And then she had been surprised by how surprised she had felt!

"Okay," the redhead said with a calmer sigh and in a calmer voice, "I'm going back up to the room." Chloe stood up beside the sun lounger that she had been sharing with Beca, and turned to face Fat Amy who handed her her hair straighteners. Fat Amy looked stunned as Chloe stared down at the small lock of hair in her hand, took a deep breath, and gave Beca a short forced smile before walking back into the hotel. The Australian let out a huge sigh of relief as Beca reached down to return her Macbook to her lap.

"Well she handled that better than I expected…" Beca said with an air of surprise. It was true, Chloe had. She knew the redhead now just needed a bit of time on her own to process what had happened, to ask herself several hypothetical questions which she would quickly have hypothetical answers to. Beca knew Chloe very well.

Fat Amy on the other hand appeared to only remember the Chloe from college. The one that, when stressed out, would immediately blame herself, think of every worst possible outcome, cause herself to get a stomach ulcer due to her worrying, and end up writing off any plans she had for the rest of the day for fear that the day could get worse. "Sheesh, you've trained her well Beca."

"Well when you've known and lived with someone for as long as I have with Chloe you kinda know how to deescalate her crises." Beca said nonchalantly without looking up from her laptop screen.

"You see," Amy exclaimed victoriously, "Bhloe!"

Beca sighed and rolled her eyes before shoving her headphones back over her ears. She didn't want to hear any more from Fat Amy. The blonde was like a dog with a bone sometimes, she just wouldn't let things go. She knew the old Bella's used to talk about her and Chloe a lot back when they were all in college. There had always been a lot of speculation about whether they were having a secret fling, and if they weren't then the way they would glance at each other from time to time, particularly if they were smiling, would be enough to send the rest of the Bella's into a whispering frenzy. A frenzy mostly started by Fat Amy. A frenzy that often claimed that while Chloe was very obvious in her affection towards Beca, Beca was only revealing it through her glances or occasional smiles.

"You know it makes sense!" she heard Amy yell over at her as the Australian left the terrace to step back into the hotel and Beca shook her head with another long sigh. It took her a lot of effort not to delve into her deepest thoughts. It wasn't in her nature to even think about emotions. It was easier to brick up any feelings she had to save embarrassment. Feelings. Embarrassment. Weirdness. Any feelings that she may or may not have for Chloe weren't worth discussing with anyone for fear that things would get weird. Weird for the Bella's. Weird for Beca. Probably weird for Chloe too.

And say that Chloe did have feelings for Beca too, where would that lead them? They had a six week European tour to endure. They would get tired and grumpy. Then when they returned to their apartment in NY how could they be sure that they could maintain a relationship? And what if they didn't? What if they ended up breaking up shortly after the end of the tour, much like Beca and Jesse had? Beca couldn't ever want to imagine a time in her life when she would feel too awkward to be around or even talk to Chloe. "You know it makes sense!" Amy had said. Yeah it made sense. Of course it did. But it didn't mean it should happen.

Beca let out another long sigh, pulling her headphones off her head and holding her hands up to her face in frustration. The whole 'trying to keep herself from delving into her deepest thoughts' wasn't really working. Beca hated herself for even slightly considering a hypothetical future where she and Chloe had begun a relationship. Having thought about these sorts of things on and off for several months now had driven Beca crazy. The last thing she needed was the Bella's having ammo to use as gossip material during this tour. Gossip would lead to Beca and Chloe having to talk about it. Which would lead to weirdness. Weirdness because they would either agree that they both felt the same way about each other, or weirdness because they didn't. Which would then lead to Chloe feeling awkward being around Beca, and before long neither of them would be living together and Beca would have lost her best friend. No, she needed to do everything within her power to keep that from happening.

All of a sudden she heard an excitable squeal come from inside the hotel. It was Chloe. And Beca rolled her eyes with a small grin. Aubrey must have just arrived.


	2. Overheard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe overheard Beca & Fat Amy's conversation...

The sun shone through the open windows of the small Spanish hotel and Chloe relished the breeze that drifted into the room. She stood before a long mirror in the small room and stared at her reflection. The redhead smoothed down the front of her light floaty top, the third top she'd changed into that day. She was a terror for changing her outfits, particularly when she didn't have her housemate around to ask the opinion of. She'd only ever admit it to herself, but it mattered to Chloe what Beca thought. Because everything she was, every way she dressed, every decision she made…it was all for Beca.

Around six years ago, on the first day of her senior year of college, Chloe had first laid eyes on the young woman who would one day become her best friend. The one person who her heart would ache for more than any person she had ever known. Beca had been a freshman who Chloe had noticed walking around the societies fair. There had been something about the 18 year old's long dark hair, petite body and dark eyeliner that had made the redhead's heart skip a beat, and she immediately suggested to her co-captain and best friend at the time, Aubrey, that they invite the alt-girl to audition for their acapella group, The Barden Bella's. Aubrey had been dead against the unusual looking girl joining their group, but Chloe, desperate to get to know the beautiful young woman, thrusted a flyer at Beca getting her to stop. Chloe still looked back now and cringed at how over-eager she'd seemed when talking to the girl, desperate to impress her. She still remembered how her heart had sank when Beca had told her how lame acapella groups seemed and that she didn't sing.

Chloe had spent the following few weeks thinking about the mysterious girl nonstop and even more so thinking about her own sexual identity. Since joining Barden University three years prior to meeting Beca she had identified herself, as she always had done, as heterosexual. Sure, she had seen women around and noted how attractive they looked in their own way, but the moment she had laid eyes on Beca, the moment she had seen her smile, well she had never felt attracted _to_ another woman before Beca. And hadn't since. The following few weeks after meeting the brunette Chloe had been looking out for her everywhere on campus, imagining different scenarios in which she could meet her and get to know her. But never could she have imagined the situation when they finally did meet again.

Now singing had been something that Beca had lied to her about, because as Chloe fooled about with her on-off boyfriend in one of the women's showers on campus late one night, the sound of a woman's singing voice drifted around the large area, causing the redhead to freeze. Making her guy wait for her in the cubical, she slowly walked, naked, in the direction of the beautiful voice, her heart in her mouth. Whoever the voice belonged to didn't matter, they _had_ to audition for the Bella's. She stopped outside the cubical and peeked through a tiny crack in the curtain. Chloe's heart skipped a beat as she saw the figure of the beautiful young woman she had been looking for since meeting her a few weeks ago. She was so overcome with joy, and excitement, and surprise, that she found herself pulling the curtain open, startling the eighteen year old who had sprung for the shower curtain to cover her naked body. To many, being naked in front people would be weird, but not the twenty one year old, who believed that being naked was freeing.

Two minutes of startled talking and a spontaneous duet that had seemed to melt the icy walls of the alt-girls frosty demeanour and Chloe had persuaded Beca to audition for The Bella's. Chloe had remembered how eager she had been to attend that audition and prove to Aubrey that the girl she had originally sneered at for being too alternative for their acapella group was everything they needed to succeed. Chloe remembered how heartbroken she had felt when she noticed that the mysterious girl had not completed an audition form, nor had she turned up. Just as she was about to lose all hope, the girl had appeared at the end.

Chloe remembered how she had had to force her breathing to become steady and reserved as she had watched Beca sit comfortably before them and perform a song she had never heard before, using nothing but her voice and Chloe's favourite yellow cup that she had asked to borrow for the performance. Aubrey had conceded that afternoon that Beca had certainly been the best of a bad bunch, but Chloe in her heart knew Beca was far more than that. She was the best. Full stop. And to her delight the alt-girl that she had so quickly fallen for became a member of their acapella group. The rest, as they say, is history.

Chloe walked over to the open window, picking up her wireless hair straighteners from the small table beside it, and was about to leave the room when she heard the familiar voice of her Australian friend talking to someone she presumed to be Beca out on the terrace below, "Hey I'm sorry to hear about you and Jesse."

Chloe's stomach twisted at the mention of his name. That total douchebag who Beca had been in a relationship with throughout college and a half a year following. The man who had spent years envisioning his life with Beca, the two of them following their dreams by moving to LA together and becoming successful in their own fields. The douchebag who had dumped Beca the moment she had suggested to him that they move to NYC instead of LA. She had known how uncomfortable Beca had felt about the idea of dubbing him the guy she was going to spend the rest of her life with, far more uncomfortable that he had ever been, and it was a good job she had.

Chloe had always been polite towards Jesse for Beca's sake. He had been after-all Captain of the other renowned Barden University acapella group, the Treblemakers, and actually a good guy. And throughout college he had been so kind to Beca, something that Chloe had hated. In those days she'd imagined so many moments when Jesse had been a total dick towards Beca and she'd dump him before declaring her love for her instead. But Jesse had rarely, if ever, been a dick. And Beca had given no indication that she loved her or held _any_ feelings for her in fact. So Chloe had just relished any moment she had had with Beca during their time together in college, secretly miserable, crying herself to sleep at night as she battled with the unrequited love she held for her best friend. Until one day, six months after graduation, Chloe had finished a busy shift at work and checked her phone to see a message to The Bella's Whatsapp group that would change her life.

_Chloe took a great sigh of relief as she stepped out of the small coffee shop and felt the warm sun on her skin. As much as she enjoyed the social side of working in a busy little coffee shop in her hometown in South Carolina it was still a relief when she finished work. The redhead pulled out her cellphone and noticed a hive of activity from the Bella's Whatsapp group. Her heart jumped into her mouth as she read the top message from Beca:_

_" _ **Hey guys, just thought I'd let you know, Jesse and I have split up. All gd here, for the best. Hope you're all ok. B.**_ _"__

__The send-receipt read 1500hrs. It had been two months since the end of their US victory tour, and Chloe could only remember too well the strain that distance had put on her best friend and Jesse, both of whom were living two states apart from each other as it was. Without a moments hesitation the redhead called the woman she so desperately wanted to hear from to check that she was okay._ _

" _Hey Chloe" the tone of Beca's voice was somber and Chloe's heart felt like it had broken to know how sad her best friend must be feeling._

" _Oh Beca I'm so sorry to hear about you and Jesse! And I'm_ _so_ _sorry that I'm only just calling you! I've been at work all day and you sent this an hour ago and you must think I'm the worst friend in the world and-" Chloe was panicking, feeling so awful that she had left her best friend alone having just broken up with her long-term boyfriend._

" _-woah Chloe slow down!" Beca said, with a quiet tinge of amusement in her voice, "you're far from the worst friend in the world. In fact…you're the only person who's called me after finding out."_

" _Really?" Chloe had to admit it, in a terrible way a small part of her was thrilled to have been the first person to call her. Perhaps she wasn't such a terrible friend after all.._

" _Yeah. And if I'm honest…" Chloe held her breath as her best friend paused, as though thinking carefully about her next choice of words, "…I'm really pleased it was you." The redhead felt her heart soar as she felt the rare tidbit of affection from the occasionally prickly twenty three year old._

_Chloe began to hear how Beca had been offered a promotion within the company she'd been interning at, Residual Heat, and that she was required to move to New York as part of the deal, where the new company headquarters were. Chloe had been both thrilled for her and disappointed that she would be moving even further from where she lived now (which had conveniently only been a three hour drive from Chloe's parents' house). The twenty six year old had been sad to hear the change in tone of the conversation when Beca revealed that she had been dependent on Jesse sharing the rent of her apartment when they moved to NY but Jesse had had other ideas and explained that it was better if they split up instead._

" _And now…I have no idea what to do Chlo. I can't afford to rent a place on my own and it's too much of a risk to live with a total stranger as New York is so far from home!" Chloe felt awful. She hadn't heard Beca feel this hopeless in…well_ _ever_ _! "I think I'm going to have to turn the job down and hold out until I've saved enough money to maybe rent somewhere near NYC on my own and hope that work still have a position like that available."_

_Chloe stopped dead in her tracks on the sidewalk of her little town and furrowed her brow in deep thought. Suddenly, as if a light had shone on her, she turned on her heels and began making her way back to work, "Beca I just need to make a call, but I'll call you back very soon."_

" _Oh…okay…" The brunette had sounded surprised but if Chloe's idea would work, her best friend would be surprised for a whole different reason._

" _Promise me one thing though Becs, don't turn down your promotion just yet." And with that, Chloe stepped back into the coffee shop she worked at, ready to do some bargaining._

After speaking in length with her boss at the coffee shop, then in length with her parents, Chloe had been able to call Beca straight up and tell her that she would be going to New York with her. They had now been there for eighteen months, living in a sweet little apartment that Chloe's parents kindly paid a third of the rent for each month.

"It's cool. I mean the chances of a college relationship lasting post-graduation is low so… I guess our breakup was pretty inevitable." Chloe could sense the tone of Beca's voice. She'd said what she'd said to Fat Amy in a way that she wanted to sound like she didn't really care, but Chloe had a feeling that hearing Jesse's name still really hurt her best friend. The redhead turned to leave the room and dash downstairs to save Beca from a tirade of questions but she paused again, intrigued by what the brunette's answer for the next question may be:

"Sooo… you got your eyes on anyone else?"

Chloe edged towards the windowsill, placing her hands on the ledge as she listened intently to Beca's long sigh, "I don't have time to be looking for someone else."

"Not even for someone saaay with long red hair, blue eyes, and a dazzling smile? Someone who you share an apartment with maybe?" Chloe froze, her mouth dropped open as she heard the Australian describe _her_. It had been no secret over the years that Fat Amy had quite openly advocated that Beca and Chloe would make the perfect couple. And while this had secretly absolutely thrilled Chloe to pieces, Beca had too often rolled her eyes at the Australian's suggestion, reminding her that she had a boyfriend. That boyfriend who had at one point been unfortunately in the room when a drunk Fat Amy had suggested it during their penultimate year college party.

_The kitchen of the Treblemakers frat house was bustling with life in the early hours of the final Sunday that the acapella college students would be in the house before going their separate ways for the summer. Not one person was sober. Chloe stood with her back against the fridge-freezer, swigging punch from her favourite yellow cup. She loved nights like this. Tonight, much like any night that she went out drinking with The Bella's, she stood watching, glancing, dancing, laughing, and hugging Beca. Her very best friend, her co-captain, and the woman she secretly harboured feelings for. Chloe swayed slightly to the beat of the music pumping around the house. She was drunk, she knew it. Maybe tonight was the night she told Beca how she really felt about her?_

_Chloe looked up from her cup and, stood on the opposite side of the kitchen to her, was Beca, equally drunk, and leaning up against a tall cupboard. The redhead gulped as she saw the petite brunette looking at her. Did Beca fancy her? Did Beca feel the same way?_

" _Guys, if I had a bottle right now, I'd spin it. I would. I would spin it for you," Chloe watched as Fat Amy pointed at her, "and I would spin it so it landed on you." And the drunk Australian pointed at Beca. "Because you guys you…you both love each other yeah?" Both girls just smiled at each other, Beca yelling a big "wehey!" while Chloe gave Beca a seductive drunk wink and thumbs up. "That way you girls can_ _finally_ _make out...like…I know…I know you've both secretly wanted to for...three years." Fat Amy slurred, and Chloe watched as Beca brought a finger up to her lips in a "shhhing" motion and whispered loudly "shh! It's a secret!" before giggling loudly._

_All of a sudden Chloe quickly felt herself sobering up, as she watched Fat Amy pick up and point an empty bottle at her, before spinning around messily and pointing at Beca. The surrounding Bella's and few Treblemakers cheered as Beca held her arms up victoriously and walked slowly towards Chloe. The redhead's heart was racing, a drunk smile washing over her face as she saw Beca approach her. Chloe's mind began spinning as she felt the petite frame of her best friend press up against hers, and she wrapped her arms around her waist whilst Beca put her arms around the redhead's neck. Chloe's body felt numb and the world felt as though it was moving in slow motion as she saw Beca close her eyes with a smile and draw her lips closer to hers. The redhead could feel a smile on her face as her heart raced, the anticipation of the one thing she had so desperately craved since they had first met finally coming true._

_To her dismay she saw a figure appear behind Beca, and watched as Jesse pulled his girlfriend away from her by her waist. Chloe had stood frozen to the spot as the people around her booed and Beca yelled at her boyfriend, seemingly fuming at the ruined moment._

" _What the hell dude?" the brunette had screeched._

" _What do you mean what the hell? You were about to cheat on me with her!" Chloe felt embarrassed as she saw Jesse motion angrily over at her. She'd always known he'd disliked her. At several parties in the past she and Beca had been together dancing, or laughing, or drinking and he'd looked on disapprovingly, no matter how drunk or sober he was. But tonight was the first time he'd physically separated them._

" _I wasn't going to cheat on you! I was just going to kiss her! It's the rules of spin the bottle!"_

" _You weren't even playing spin the bottle!"_

_Beca looked even angrier at Jesse's last comment but not as angry as Fat Amy who called out to the squabbling couple, "Oi! They so_ _were_ _playing spin the bottle and you ruined it!" The Bella's booed again while Beca lifted her hands with an "I hope you're happy" expression on her face._

_To Chloe's horror Jesse turned on her, drunkenly pointing an accusing finger at her, "You know what, you need to stop sniffing around my girlfriend! I mean it Chloe! I don't care how much you may_ _love_ _her or whatever, it's never going to happen because she loves me, and she's_ _with_ _me!" But at his final few words, a fuming Beca threw her hands in the air and stormed out of the kitchen, pushing past several Treblemakers in the process. Jesse ran after her, leaving Chloe to stand in the same place she had always been standing, completely stunned._

"Dude…" she heard Beca hiss in response to Fat Amy's suggestion.

"What?" Chloe felt slightly uncomfortable as she listened to the Australian's reasoning, "Oh come on! She's high maintenance, highly organized, bubbly and anxious. You're low maintenance, sloppy, moody and laid back. You're perfect for each other! Bhloe forever!" Chloe felt a lump in her throat as she heard Fat Amy desperately reason with the petite brunette and Chloe could imagine Beca's facial expression at the mention of Amy's favourite nickname for them. It would've likely been an angry glare. Much like the one given a couple of years ago when the Bella's had gone to a boot camp ran by the graduated Aubrey, organised by Chloe, and reluctantly attended by her co-captain Beca.

" _I've got more important things to do!" Beca yelled out to The Bella's in frustration as the women around her began to disperse, sensing the negative atmosphere that was building around the Captains._

" _What could be more important than this?!" Chloe screwed her face up in disbelief, breathing heavily with frustration, trying to keep back the tears that so often welled up when she believed something to be unfair. Right now she was stood face-to-face with Beca, both exhausted after an uncomfortable restless night sharing a cramped tent between all ten of the Bellas, and a long day of team building activities._

" _Nothing! Forget it."_

" _No, you don't think that we haven't all realised you've been a little checked-out lately?" Chloe confronted Beca, uncharactistically, and she watched one of their fellow Bella's approach behind Beca, giving her a nudge, "Come on, Beca, just tell her"_

_Chloe's heart plummeted as she stared at her best friend expecting her to react in some way, but the brunette had turned her head away from her and towards Fat Amy, who had taken one look at Beca's expression and gulped loudly at what she had just said. Chloe wanted to cry as she choked out her words, angry and heartbroken that Beca clearly hadn't trusted her enough to tell her her secret, "I heard that. Tell me what?"_

" _Oh you misunderstood me, I clearly said rum-pum-pupper-meh-schmerer..." Chloe screwed her face up, noticing Beca turn back towards her, shaking her head in disbelief as the Australian stuttered, clearly feeling guilty that she had caused a large rift between her two captains, "Listen, I don't want you guys to fight. You're Beca and Chloe. Together you're Bhloe. And everyone loves a good Bhloe."_

_Despite a screwed up expression, Chloe couldn't help the slightly bemused grin that whispered across her face as she looked over Beca's shoulder at Amy. If she wasn't feeling so confused and angry right now she would've squealed a bit internally in excitement at the thought of sharing a nickname with her best friend, the woman she loved. That young woman turned to her, taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself and Chloe waited with baited breath, having no idea what could come next. Had she been sneaking off to be with Jesse more? Was she…pregnant?!_

" _Okay, I've been interning at a recording studio and a legit music producer wants to hear my work, God forbid I have something going on outside this group!"_

_Chloe paused for a millisecond. An overwhelming sense of relief and joy washed over her, thrilled for her best friend and the amazing opportunity she had been offered. Of course she hadn't been sneaking off to see more of Jesse, not that it would warrant sneaking off for, instead she'd been making waves within the music industry outside of the Bella's. Something that, for some reason, she felt Fat Amy could've handled knowing about better than her. In a flash she couldn't quite understand why Beca had been sneaking off to her internship instead of being open with them, or at least her, "Okay. So why would you keep something like that from us?" The redhead asked, making sure she phrased her sentences as though she was offended that Beca had hidden it from the Bella's rather than just her._

" _Cause you're obsessed! You all are!" It was like a bullet to the heart to hear Beca criticise her so specifically. She always thought the Bella's had meant something to Beca. She always thought SHE had meant something to Beca. What Beca was saying though, how she was saying it, that wasn't the way someone who cared about Chloe should talk to her, and the redhead was on the cusp of crying as Beca continued, "We're graduating and the only person thinking about life after the Bellas is me!"_

_Chloe felt anger bubbling up in her unlike any anger she had felt in the past few years. This was what happened when anyone criticised the Bella's or her attitude towards her acapella group. "What is so wrong with being focused on the Bellas? This has been my family for seven years!" She yelled at Beca, trying desperately hard to hold back her tears, trying to get her best friend to be kinder by knowing just how much the Bella's meant to her._

" _Yeah, cause you're too scared to leave, sack up dude!" Part of Chloe wanted to burst into tears because she was distraught that her best friend, the woman she loved, was criticising her life decisions. The other part of her wanted to burst into tears because this was far from how she had envisioned this trip to be like. This had been the trip that she hoped would open Beca's eyes up to her, to really make the most of their final couple of months left of college together. But the petite brunette had been her usual huffy stubborn self, and it had killed Chloe over the past few months to see just how distracted she'd become. Beca had lied to her, and from the sounds of things she was also going to be leaving her in the lurch to face Captaining the Bella's at the World Championship alone._

_Chloe was both terrified and furious, "Okay so you've been lying to us for the entire year and now you're just gonna flake out? Now you're gonna flake out when the Worlds is, like, right after graduation?"_

" _Oh my God enough about the worlds! I…I'm out of here!" Chloe rolled her eyes, typical Beca, walking away when the tension got too high._

" _Okay, you're just gonna leave now?" She called after her._

" _We all have to eventually Chloe, it might as well be now!"_

_Chloe froze, her heart racing. Part of her wanted to run after her best friend, grab her by the shoulders and shake her vigorously until she calmed down. The other part of her wanted to run away in the opposite direction, finally giving herself the opportunity to burst into tears like she so desperately wanted to. In a dramatic twist of fate, however, as Beca stormed away she suddenly became trapped in a net that left her swinging above the ground._

"She's my best friend!" Chloe released a soft smile as she heard Beca's counter argument. If Beca still trusted Fat Amy with secrets like she had done in college, then the brunette now had the perfect opportunity to reveal how she really felt about Chloe.

"Okay, ouch…"

" _One_ of my best friends," the brunette quickly rectified. As Beca paused, Chloe held her breath, her heart racing as she strained her ears, just in case Beca whispered her confession to Amy. But she didn't. Nor did she confess anything. "Just because you've made up a nickname for us does not mean that we are meant to be together!"

And there it was. The very confession that Chloe had so very much dreaded to hear. She had been expecting it, but for some reason it had still hurt. Even six years on from first meeting Beca, six years on from realising just how in love she was with her. Just over five years on from realising that in reality Beca would always choose her music before her, she would always choose guys before her, just like she'd chosen Jesse…

" _Exactly!_ You're best friends! So you've already done the hard work!" Was the last thing Chloe heard the Australian exclaim, as she turned to leave the hotel room and make her way downstairs. Chloe took several deep breaths. It was normal for her to feel like this. To feel let down by Beca. Then she would feel guilty for feeling let down because it wasn't really Beca's fault. It was her own fault for feeling this way. For harbouring unrequited love for her best friend. But a long time ago Chloe had decided that she would live for the moments where it was just the two of them. She lived for their quiet evenings alone in their little apartment in Brooklyn. Where Beca would be her real self. Kind, gentle, funny. Where the brunette wouldn't think twice about Chloe resting her legs on her lap while they watched TV or mind sitting on Chloe's bed while she tried a million different outfits that could work as a travel outfit. Recently Beca had been more affectionate, in the best way that Beca knew how, even going as far as asking one evening when she'd got home from work if Chloe wanted to practice plaiting her hair again. Something that the redhead had jumped at the chance at.

"Dude! _Inappropriate!"_ She heard Beca hiss at Fat Amy, as she stepped out onto the terrace. The sun was bright and the redhead sighed slightly. Her freckles were going to appear on her face very quickly at this rate. She had always been self-conscious of her freckles since she had been a young child, hating the way they collected around her nose and the tops of her cheeks. Fortunately since finding make-up as a teenager she had found a way to cover them if they ever got too out of control.

"What are you guys talking about?" Chloe asked as she approached the two women on the sun loungers to her right. They immediately dismissed talking about anything and the redhead let out a small suspicious smile. She'd known exactly what they'd been talking about and she felt herself get a bit giddy as she watched Beca quickly glance down at her laptop in front of her as her cheeks flushed red. She was never going to tell her about what she'd heard. Instead, in an attempt to save the brunette from further embarrassment, Chloe drew her attention to the straighteners in her hand,

"Would you mind straightening my hair at the back? You know, that wavy lock of hair that I can never seem to reach?" She saw Beca nod, her expression relaxing, and Chloe noted how different the young woman was now, unlike how she had been when they had first met. Back then Beca wouldn't have ever agreed to go anywhere near Chloe's hair, let alone straighten it. And to be honest, back then Chloe wouldn't have trusted anyone to touch her hair, let alone straighten it.

However, just as Chloe made to hand her straighteners to Beca, Fat Amy stood up with an obvious sigh, "Alright, alright, I'll do it Chlo, no need to pressure me."

The redhead froze, surprised by the offer having never intended for Amy to come anywhere near her hair, and she looked back at Beca with surprise. She could see the brunette smirking at her from her position down on the sunlounger.

"Take a seat Red, I've got this aaall under control" the Australian encouraged. Chloe reluctantly handed over her favourite hair straighteners before making her way over to Beca's sun lounger and gently taking a seat opposite the brunette. She recognised a brief look of surprise on her best friend's face, but as she crossed her legs she saw Beca reach down to put her laptop on the floor beside them. Neither of them shuffled their body positions, despite their knees touching, and Chloe relished this opportunity to try to read her best friend's body language.

Chloe knew that Beca hated any form of physical contact when out in public, particularly around Fat Amy. That was why she had purposefully sat on the armchair beside Beca's sofa in the hotel lounge last night instead of lacing her legs over the brunette's lap on the sofa _with_ her, which is what she would have done had they been there alone. Chloe felt her breath catch in her throat as she saw the dark blue eyes of her best friend look at her. She noticed Beca glancing at the bridge of her nose, a small smile growing on her face, and Chloe could feel herself blushing slightly as her own smile grew. "Okaaay, of course you'd want to be with her…" she thought she heard Fat Amy mutter, but she didn't care. The two didn't break eye contact even when Fat Amy approached the women, muttering under her breath "I kinda expected you to sit on my sun lounger but whatever, I can make this work…"

A brief wave of fear washed over the redhead's face as she sensed Fat Amy approach behind her and take hold of the wild lock of red hair. Beca must have sensed her change in expression as Chloe heard her best friend let out a small bemused laugh, to which the redhead automatically reached out and slapped her playfully on the thigh. It was a very normal interaction for the two, particularly as Beca so very often teased Chloe, or gave her a teasing look that warranted the other woman to playfully tell her best friend off. As the two held eye contact Chloe thought she noticed Beca gulp, but before she could think to much about it, or think about the fingertips of her hand that still lightly lay on Beca's thigh, their Australian friend muttered an "oops" from the end of the sun lounger.

Chloe's stomach lurched with dread as she saw Beca's once relaxed eyes widen in horror, while she felt the once tightly pulled lock of hair release itself from her scalp.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the comments and Kudos guys!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this second chapter :)


	3. Dinner Time Surprises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Bella's see just how comfortable Beca and Chloe have become in each other's company...

The evening had closed in and the petite brunette reached the top of the staircase of her hotel floor and began making her way towards her hotel room, her laptop under her arm, hotel key in hand.

"See you soon short-stack" Beca heard a voice call out behind her and she peered over her shoulder to see that Fat Amy had stuck her head out of her own hotel room and was grinning at her. Beca gave her a short wave, struggling with her laptop under her arm, as she put her hotel key into her room door and wondered if the Australian had been waiting for her to turn up so she could yell something at her from down the corridor that only The Bella's appeared to inhabit. "You'd better hurry, only 10 minutes to go until dinner!"

The brunette rolled her eyes and gave Amy a thumbs up before stepping into her hotel room. She knew what touring with Aubrey meant, a tight schedule. But she'd purposefully stayed downstairs on the terrace for the past few hours since Aubrey had arrived to make the most of the sun, and the peace and quiet. Plus it wasn't like it would take much for her to get ready. Her roommate on the other hand...

Beca shut the door behind her with a thud and stared around the room before her with her mouth open in slight shock. She had been expecting to find the immaculate room she'd left after lunch. No such luck. "Erm…Chloe?" She said tentatively, wondering for a moment if they'd been burgled.

She let out a slight sigh as she looked to her left and saw the door to their ensuite fly open. To many the sight of Chloe looking so stressed and flustered would be an uncomfortable thing to have to be around. As would having to see the redhead swanning around in nothing more than a towel. But months of living with Chloe meant that this sight wasn't an unusual one, nor one that made Beca feel uncomfortable. What difference would it make that they were on the first day of their European Tour huh?

Beca saw Chloe screw her face up, and the brunette knew what that meant. Her best friend still wanted to cry but had ran out of tears, "Beca it looks awful!" Beca furrowed her brow slightly as the redhead let out a quick sob, before turning her back on the room and reentering the ensuite. The door remained open which Beca knew meant Chloe expected her to follow her and/or get involved with this conversation.

Beca shuffled over to her single bed with a sigh, placing her laptop down on the light bedcovers, "What looks awful?" The brunette asked as she made her way over to the ensuite, leaning against the doorway, watching Chloe shake her head at her own reflection in the bathroom mirror.

"Everything!" Chloe whined, "My nail broke while I was getting in the shower, I can't for the life of me work out what to wear tonight, and my hair looks ridiculous now that Amy took a chunk out of it!" Ah, the hair. Beca should've know this meltdown would be about her hair.

The brunette sighed, "Chloe I told you, keep your hair down and it's not even noticeable."

"So it's noticeable if my hair is up?"

"Of course it is, Amy took a chunk out of it remember?" Beca knew that had probably been a bad response as her best friend turned her head to her with a panicked expression. The brunette tried to keep a grin under wraps as she stepped into the bathroom, reached out, and gently took hold of Chloe's long red hair that flowed with loose natural waves, "Look just, keep your hair down…like this…" Beca moved the hair into place and gave the woman in front of her a reassuring smile, "…and it looks perfect. Your hair looks…perfect."

The bathroom fell silent as Beca moved Chloe's hair off the redheads shoulders and her eyes caught the small cluster of ginger freckles on her skin. The brunette swallowed loudly. Fortunately Chloe hadn't seemed to notice, turning back to the mirror, clearly satisfied with her best friend's opinion, "That still doesn't help my outfit situation" she said with a sigh, moving out of the bathroom and into the bedroom.

Beca had frozen, hardly able to collect her thoughts, her hand feeling numb where it had accidentally glazed Chloe's soft skin. With a sigh she followed her best friend into their bedroom as Chloe made her way over to the tiny wardrobe they had by her bed, "well for that you need to remember that you're spending the next ten weeks with The Bella's. They're going to see you in every outfit more than once." Beca suddenly felt herself go red in embarrassment as her best friend casually dropped her towel from around her naked body, and began rummaging through the wardrobe, "Woah dude! What have I told you about doing that!" Beca protested, immediately turning her back to face the wall beside her single bed. But despite her protests, she still couldn't help the small smile that had grown on her embarrassed face.

Chloe had this terrible habit of walking around their apartment back home in nothing more than a towel before casually getting dressed in their lounge, or kitchen, or wherever their clothes happened to be piled after returning from the laundrette. Beca had been 'unfortunate' enough to walk into or past Chloe, usually when the redhead had been in only her underwear, and Beca felt it was only right she protested each time or it would just be weird. Right? "Oh relax you've seen it before" she heard her best friend giggle.

"And I will say the same thing I say every time which is that it still makes me uncomfortable whenever you drop your towel. Stop doing it!" Beca said, a grin still plastered on her face, though she tried not to reveal it in her voice. She remained with her back to the redhead, though she had a feeling she could hear Chloe shrugging some clothes on.

"You know Beca we're going to be sharing a room for the next few days at least, you're going to have to get used to it." Chloe said in a matter of fact tone and Beca rolled her eyes, muttering a sarcastic "Great…" under her breath, though her grin still remained as the image of Chloe's ass flashed into her memory.

"Tada!"

She didn't dare turn around in case her best friend was still naked, but Chloe had let out another short giggle, "Oh you can relax, I've got clothes on!" and the brunette felt the damp towel Chloe had been wearing hit her in the back.

Beca felt her breath catch in her throat as she turned around to see Chloe stood before her, not noticing the nervous grin the redhead wore. Her focus was on the light blue top that Chloe often wore, which Beca had once said was her favourite thing in Chloe's wardrobe. It was true, the brunette loved how it brought out her best friend's blue eyes. Those eyes were what drew Beca into anything Chloe said. Like a siren call. Matched with a pair of skinny jeans, Beca couldn't understand why Chloe always worried about what she wore. She looked amazing in anything. The brunette dragged her eyes from Chloe's waist and up to her face and she was surprised to see the redhead grinning at her, clearly enjoying the attention she was getting. Beca nodded awkwardly, clearing her throat, "That'll do" she croaked.

"That'll do? I'm not looking for 'that'll do'! I need something good!"

"Wha…it's only dinner Chloe! At a hotel! How good do you need it?" Beca's heart jumped as she watched Chloe pull her light blue top off before turning back to the small wardrobe for a different outfit. The brunette didn't turn around this time, instead she admired her best friend's breasts and how well they filled her lilac bra, "Besides…you look good in anything" she managed to force out.

It seemed to be enough for the redhead, who paused, turned back to her best friend and pointed at the blue top that she'd chucked on her single bed earlier, "So I should stick with this?"

"Yes."

"You really think it looks good?"

Beca grinned picking up the top and throwing it at Chloe, "Yes! Now come on! It's 6pm already! Aubrey's gonna freak if we're late and we still have to order our drinks!"

* * *

Aubrey sat forward in her chair at the dinner table, eagerly awaiting the remainder of the Bella's to join her. It was their first day of their European Victory Tour and she had just spent an enjoyable forty minutes unpacking her suitcase and arranging her items into the small wardrobe provided in the small twin room which she had had no choice in sharing with Fat Amy.

The Australian sauntered over to her, plonking herself down in the seat to her right with a long sigh, "So where do you think everyone else is?" and Aubrey merely shrugged. The hotel had a rule that before seating, guests had to order their drinks at the bar. She had specifically told all the Bella's to meet in the dining room at 6pm sharp. It was now 6.03pm and gauging Amy's tone they weren't all up at the bar, where her roommate had just been. She felt sure that had Amy not been sharing a room with her than the Australian would also not be here.

The blonde sat up straight as Cynthia-Rose, Ashley, Jessica and Flo walked over to the table. Grins of greetings all around as they settled in seats to Aubrey's right and left. She jumped as she turned to see Lily stood between herself and Fat Amy, having not seen her appear at all. Lily took a seat and she let out a small smile and a gentle wave saying something under her breath that sounded much like she'd just put sugar in all the salt shakers, but Aubrey couldn't be sure. As she glanced around the table she noticed that the rest of the Bella's had also struggled to hear what their quiet friend had said.

Shaking her head slightly, as though to forget Lily's weirdness, Aubrey smiled with a long exhale, "Well, five minutes isn't too late." She chose to ignore the eye rolling of her fellow Bella's and looked at the two empty chairs on the other side of the table to her, "Has anyone seen Beca and Chloe?"

"You mean Bhloe?" Fat Amy said with a smirk, nudging Aubrey with her elbow as the other Bella's grinned, looking at each other then over at the empty seats. A couple of waitresses arrived with The Bella's preordered drinks. Aubrey's heart sank. Was this 'Bhloe' nickname still a thing?

She'd be lying if she admitted she hadn't become concerned the moment she'd found out that Chloe had decided to move to NYC with Beca eighteen months ago. She knew only too well how Chloe felt about the woman who was three years their junior. For too many nights over the three years since Aubrey had graduated she had listened to Chloe on the phone, the redhead bawling her eyes out because she loved Beca so much but Beca couldn't possibly love her back. She remembered how besotted the redhead had been over that alt-girl the moment they had first met her six years ago. Chloe had really pushed Aubrey to have Beca join the Bella's, and if Aubrey hadn't considered Chloe her only friend back then, she would've immediately said no.

Since then Aubrey hadn't liked how selfish and rebellious the brunette was. The girl would forever put her feelings and her wishes before anybody else's. And every time, Chloe would back Beca up. She would make excuses for her rudeness. Chloe would be let down again and again and still she would never hear anything against the brunette. And in a small way, no matter how long the years went on, Aubrey still harboured a ball of dislike for Beca and the way she appeared to treat the redhead. Aubrey considered Chloe to be her very best friend, and as such she wanted the best for her. Beca was far from the best. If this whole 'Bhloe' thing continued, then Chloe would get her hopes up, which would only eventually end in upset.

"Okaaay, Bhloe is not a thing, nor do I want to hear any of you using that as a nickname for Beca and Chloe, understand? It's only going to upset them.." Aubrey said with an air of authority and seriousness despite the sickeningly sweet smile on her face. The Bella's screwed their faces up in confusion, wondering who had made Aubrey the leader all of a sudden. But before they could say anything more, Chloe arrived at the dining table with a broad grin on her face, closely followed by Beca who gave the group a smile, raising her hand in a silent greeting.

"Hey ladies! Isn't it great to be all together again?" The redhead said as she took a seat beside Cynthia-Rose while Beca took the seat on the other side of Chloe. The table fell silent as the Bella's stared at Beca and Chloe, both of whom looked back at them, "What?" Beca asked curiously and Aubrey thought she saw the brunette's cheeks flush a little.

"Nothing! Erm…Beca tell us about how work is going? You're now in New York?" Aubrey said hurriedly, hoping to save any embarrassment that may bestow Chloe, whose suspicious expression now relaxed into a smile as she didn't take her blue eyes off Beca once.

"Oh…right…yeah. Well I'm still working for Residual Heat, within their production department…" Beca began, and Aubrey watched as a member of bar staff approached their table, handing what looked to be a gin and tonic to Beca, and a glass of rosé to Chloe,

"…I'm in charge of a really small team who get to listen to all demos and work out if the artists are what Residual Heat are looking for…" the brunette continued as the bar staff placed a small glass of ice in front of her, and a small glass of ice in front of Chloe, before finally placing a large bottle of still water between them,

"…so while it's not exactly what I'm looking for job-wise, it's actually just acting as another stepping stone towards hopefully becoming a music producer…" Beca continued.

Aubrey couldn't help her mouth slowly drop open as she watched Beca reach over to grab the small glass in front of Chloe and tip the ice into her own glass. Meanwhile Chloe had reached out to take Beca's Gin & Tonic and was in the process of using her fork to pull out the wedge of lime in the girl's long drink, "Beca's been in talks with her boss about potentially having a day in the week reserved exclusively for music production" Aubrey watched on as Chloe returned Beca's glass before the redhead gave her a little nudge, and the brunette nodded, "yeah, actually it's a pretty big deal. If he agrees then I'll be collaborating with one of the producers and learning the ropes on the job which would be awesome!"

The Bella's congratulated Beca, though Aubrey noticed that each of them had been looking at Beca and Chloe in stunned silence as the two had so casually swapped ingredients of each other's drinks. Fortunately it seemed neither of the woman had noticed as they took a sip of their own drinks.

Aubrey furrowed her brow. This type of interaction wasn't one that she'd seen between Beca and Chloe before. Particularly not by Beca. When the group had toured the US together two years ago, the two women had been nothing like this. They had rarely been seen together and that was because Chloe had admitted to Aubrey at the beginning of that tour that she was going to be taking a step away from Beca with the intention of removing her feelings for the brunette. Chloe had admitted back then that Beca was never going to choose her, it would always be Jesse. The last time Aubrey had been aware of Chloe's unrequited love for the brunette was at the end of the bootcamp she had ran for them three years ago.

_The early morning sun rose to reveal a beautiful spring morning. Aubrey trudged over the grass that led from her sleeping quarters in the central hub of the retreat over to the large tent that housed her sleeping Bella's. She had all put them through their paces over the past couple of days and she was thrilled for them that they had finally found their sound once again. She knew they were going to crush it at the World Championships in a couple of months time!_

_As she stomped over the greenery towards the large tent she could hear whispered voices. She furrowed her brow, having once suspected that the voices were coming from within the tent when really they were coming from outside. Her heart lurched as she saw the familiar figures of Chloe and Beca sat side by side on the edge of the lake behind the tent. She couldn't quite make out what was being said by Beca, but it was enough for Chloe to stifle a laugh as she nudged the brunette's arm. She wondered how long they had been sat there for. It felt intimate. She began to wonder if the two of them had been laying together in the tent overnight and that they'd decided to leave the tent to get more privacy. Either way, it was bound to be Chloe's ideal situation to be in with Beca._

_Aubrey cleared her throat loudly, and she saw the two young women freeze, before turning to look behind them. Just as they did the zip to the tent sounded behind her, and the Bella's began filing out of the tent looking decidedly annoyed. Fat Amy had even glared at the blonde and Aubrey wondered whether the Bella's had actually been lying awake listening to their co-captain's whispering to each other. "Bella's, time for one final group activity. Packing the tent away!" Aubrey said cheerily, taking no notice of the tired groans from the Bella's._

_Instead she watched as Beca stood up, and reached a hand out to Chloe to help her stand up, which the redhead appeared to gladly take. The two then slowly began making their way over to the group, avoiding Aubrey's disapproving look. "Erm, Chloe? Can I have a word?" The blonde asked as the two women passed her, and her stomach dropped as Beca looked back at Chloe with a "will you be okay?" expression. The redhead nodded her head slightly with an encouraging expression as if to say "you don't have to worry" which was enough for Beca to continue walking back to the Bella's, but not without giving Aubrey a slight glare._

_"Everything okay?" Chloe asked as she began walking away from the Bella's alongside Aubrey. The blonde looked at her best friend who was watching her nervously._

_"What are you doing?" Aubrey couldn't help whispering, a question that had clearly caught Chloe off guard._

_"What do you mean?"_

_"Chloe," Aubrey looked over her shoulder, satisfied that they were far enough from the Bella's to stop walking, "don't make things more difficult for yourself then they already are!" She pleaded, and she watched Chloe turn her head away from her to look back at the Bella's while Aubrey quietly continued, "I'm serious Chloe, you've been tormenting yourself for almost four years now!"_

_"It's nothing Aubrey-"_

_"-I saw the way you looked at her last night Chloe. The way you looked at her just now. That's not nothing."_

_Aubrey watched tears beginning to form in Chloe's eyes as the redhead turned back to her, and her stomach sank. She knew Chloe well enough to know that she still adored Beca. "Chloe, you have to stop doing this to yourself"_

_She saw Chloe swallow loudly and take a deep shaky breath. The redhead raised her eyebrows, keeping her voice low and pleading, "Aubrey there's only five weeks left before graduation. Please, just let me have these final few weeks to-"_

_"-to what Chloe? To tell her how you feel?"_

_"To be blissfully in denial!" Chloe finally revealed in a hushed tone._

_Aubrey let out a long sigh as her best friend looked at her with shimmering blue eyes, and she looked over at the Bella's who were busying themselves by tidying away their belongings, taking it in turns to glance in their direction. She noticed Beca pulling Chloe's sleeping bag out of the tent and begin to roll it up. It was one of the most selfless things Aubrey had ever seen Beca do and it took her by surprise. It didn't make her like Beca more, nor did it mean that she suddenly trusted the alt-girl who held Chloe's heart in the palm of her hands without even realising. But it helped her respond appropriately to the redhead. So with another long sigh she turned back to Chloe, "Five weeks. But you have to promise me you'll try to let her go after graduation. You owe it to yourself Chloe, to find someone who feels the same way for you as you do for them." And she placed a reassuring hand on her best friend's shoulder as Chloe glanced over at Beca with a sad smile._

Thirty minutes later and the Bella's were sat around the dining table, listening to an outrageous tale by Fat Amy when their meals arrived. Aubrey glanced down at her dish of moussaka with glee, pleased to finally be eating after a long day of travelling. She looked around the table at her fellow Bella's. Cynthia-Rose and Flo were picking through Flo's salad to see if there really was plenty of avocado, whilst Lily had already begun tucking into her paella. She noticed Ashley and Jessica whispering to each other under their breath as they glanced at Beca and Chloe, and Fat Amy began tucking into a large steak that she'd proudly ordered "rare".

"So the thing about steaks in Australia is that it's mostly always alligator," the Australian said casually, and Aubrey wondered if it was really the truth, but she let Amy continue, "but since being home I've had a massive hankering for…"

Aubrey looked at the woman to her right who had stopped cutting her steak mid-sentence and was now staring across the table in surprise. Aubrey looked at her fellow Bella's all of whom were now staring at Beca and Chloe. Aubrey furrowed her brow as she followed their gaze.

Beca had slid her plate across to Chloe, who subsequently dragged the tomatoes from Beca's plate onto hers. Whilst that was happening Beca was busy picking off every cube of feta cheese that was on Chloe's plate and placing it on hers. Beca pulled her plate back once they were finished only for Chloe to sweetly whisper "ooh you missed a bit" and place a final cube of feta on Beca's plate. The two began eating then looked up, surprised to see the rest of their party staring at them in shock.

"…what?" Beca asked, and Aubrey struggled to find the words to ask what the hell was going on. It was like they were perfectly synced with each other.

Fortunately Fat Amy took control of the situation, "Er, guys, what's with the food swapping?"

"And the ice" Cynthia-Rose chipped in.

"Yeah and the ice?" The Bella's muttered and agreed. Beca and Chloe looked from their food to each other then back to the Bella's.

Beca shrugged like it wasn't a big deal, "Chloe hates feta. And ice."

"It hurts my teeth!"

"Yeah it hurts her teeth."

"And Beca hates limes. And tomatoes." Chloe chimed, with an expression as though she couldn't understand why they were having to explain things.

"So…why didn't you order them without?" Fat Amy said as though it would be the most obvious thing to do.

"I dunno," the brunette shrugged, "it's just…easier."

The Bella's watched as Chloe briefly placed a hand on Beca's upper arm and they were surprised to not see the brunette flinch away from the physical contact like she used to, "Beca loves feta cheese" the redhead said, before bringing her hand back down from her best friend's arm.

"She's right" Beca pointed at Chloe with a nod, "I'd be annoyed if she'd ordered her salad without it!"

Aubrey was lost for words as the Bella's began a small debate about whether feta cheese was nice or not and what it was nice in, and all of a sudden the dynamics of the group returned to normal. She didn't take part in the conversation, instead using the time to slowly eat her moussaka and watch the interaction between Chloe and Beca. While there were many different things about the two in the way that they interacted one thing remained the same, Chloe still looked at Beca adoringly while Beca continued going about her life obliviously.

As she watched Beca picking at a piece of chicken whilst talking over the table to Fat Amy she saw Chloe staring at Beca with a soft smile on her face. The redhead had barely touched her salad, instead clearly blissfully content in watching the brunette's every move and listening to every word. Aubrey felt a dark cloud loom over her body as she realised that her best friend still had deep feelings for the petite alt-girl. All the progress the redhead had made trying to remove her feelings for Beca throughout the US tour two years ago seemed to have been completely eradicated in the eighteen months that the two had lived together in NY. Now Aubrey feared that Chloe would be falling even harder, and the only way to address this unrequited love would be for the redhead to tell Beca the truth. The problem with that would be the inevitable heartache that would proceed that revelation, when the brunette would undoubtedly tell Chloe that she didn't feel the same way. Things would get awkward. And then the Bella's truly would be over.

As the Bella's raised their glasses to toast the first night of their tour, Aubrey took a deep breath as she looked at Chloe and Beca. She'd be keeping an eye on these two. The end of her Bella's was in the palm of their hands, and they had the chance to crush it if Chloe ever revealed her deepest most feelings to Beca.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you may be able to tell, I've actually written the first 31 chapters of this fic (which was originally only meant to be 15) already. It is already posted up on FF.net but I thought I'd share it on here too as I love the layout of AO3 :)


	4. That Plastic Yellow Cup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Week number four of The Bella's European Tour, and how DID Chloe end up with a different yellow cup in PP2 to the yellow cup she had in PP1?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because in-continuity in movies sometimes bothers me :P

Four weeks into their tour and The Bella's had successfully performed at three different locations in Spain and three different locations in Italy. Whilst their audiences hadn't been nearly the size that the audiences at their competition finals had, they were still surprised at the relatively large audiences they'd performed in front of. Next up was the city that every member of the group had dreamt of visiting, London.

Chloe sat down in her seat with a tired sigh, pulling her handbag onto her lap and unzipping it. She wrinkled her nose slightly as she noted the middle-aged man sat in the window seat beside her, smelling of stale cigarettes as he blew his nose loudly into a dirty hanky. The Bella's had had to get up early to catch their flight from Rome to London, and Chloe was relieved to be finally on the plane after a two hour delay. Though as she noticed the man beside her pulling his table down to rest on his large stomach she began to wonder if being sat here for the next couple of hours would be worth it.

"You alright there Chlo?" The familiar voice of her best friend whispered, and Chloe looked up to her right to see Beca take the seat beside her. Okay, it was totally going to be worth it. She nodded her head with a small smile as the brunette pulled down her own table and placed her laptop and headphones onto its surface. Chloe resumed her focus on rummaging in her handbag, pulling out a small bottle of water and some painkillers.

"Would you like anything from my bag before you put it up in the holdall?" She turned to see Beca look at her with her eyebrows raised and a curious grin on her face, "Oh I'm putting it up in the holdall am I?" She heard her best friend say with a bemused tone to her voice and Chloe fluttered her eyelashes with a grin and a sweet "uhuh!"

The brunette rolled her eyes with a chuckle, taking Chloe's handbag and handing the woman her laptop to look after while she stood up. This was their third flight together. The first was from New York to Spain. The second was Spain to Italy. The third would be this flight to London. All three times there had been this unspoken agreement between the two women that Chloe took charge of their tickets, passports and flight details, and Beca took charge of keeping Chloe calm. There was also an unspoken agreement that Chloe took the centre seat of any flight, having never enjoyed looking out of the window and hating people walking past her along the aisle. Beca on the other hand had never been fussed either way.

"Thank you!" Chloe sang out sweetly to her best friend who gave her a small grin with another eye roll. She knew Beca secretly loved the fuss. She noticed Aubrey, sat in the centre seat on the other side of the aisle, looking over at her with a slightly furrowed brow. She knew that look. That was Aubrey's look of suspicion. Chloe felt her stomach plummet as she turned to open her bottle of water and take her painkillers. She hadn't seen that look in a long while. Not since the acapella bootcamp The Bella's had attended just before the World Championship in 2015.

_Heavy breathing could be heard from both sides of the large tent as The Bella's all laid, cramped together. Chloe had laid awake for hours, on her back, staring at the canvas ceiling, noticing the change in light as dawn began to approach. She'd not dared move onto her side, particularly not her left. Last night had been The Bella's final night at the acapella bootcamp. She had sensed tension between herself and her best friend over the past couple of days, tension that finally broke yesterday afternoon when Beca had finally revealed to her that the reason why she had been absent from captaining duties over the past several months was because she had been interning at a record company._

_Not much had been said about it afterwards, but last night, over the campfire, The Bella's had found their 'sound'. And Chloe thought she had found something more. She'd done what she'd always done when around her best friend, she had looked at Beca intently, hoping beyond all hope that Beca would turn to her and look at her in the same way. For the three and a half years that Chloe had known Beca she had not seen the brunette look at her in any special way, if at all. But last night, once the Bella's had finished singing the song that Beca had originally sung for her Bella's audition, Chloe had looked to Beca. And to her surprise she saw the brunette pause before looking at her with an expression on her face that Chloe had never seen before. Her heart had soared. Suddenly everything she had hoped for with this trip had begun to appear. Three and a half long years and Beca had finally looked at her with a look of affection._

_Since retiring to the tent however, both women had said nothing to one another. Chloe's temptation to lay and watch Beca sleep as she had done the night before was something she couldn't bring herself to do. So instead she had just laid on her back, staring at the ceiling of the tent, replaying in her mind the look Beca had given her over and over again. At one point she thought she'd felt some of her hair moving, but then she realised that her thick red hair had splayed out over the pillow she'd been sharing with Beca and Emily, and that Beca had simply turned onto it in her sleep. Suddenly Chloe felt a gentle nudge of her left shoulder and she slowly turned her head. She swallowed loudly as she came face to face with her best friend, their noses a mere inch from one another,_

_"Wanna go for a walk?" Chloe heard the brunette whisper almost silently and she felt herself nodding before watching Beca quietly stand up, her short height meaning she didn't need to crouch. Chloe saw the woman reach a hand down to her and she took it as assistance in standing up. The redhead's heart was racing as Beca changed hands that she used to hold Chloe's hand before guiding the two of them out of the tent, the dawn light just bright enough for the two women to sneak out of the tent without disturbing their fellow Bella's. What they didn't realise however, in their nervous states, was that the once heavy breathing of the inhabitants of the tent had stopped. All were now awake and eagerly holding their breath as they watched their Captain's sneak out of the tent, hand in hand._

_Chloe rubbed her eye slightly as she blinked into the early morning daylight. Her heart lurched slightly as she felt Beca drop her hand, so she crossed her arms and began slowly trudging over the grass with her best friend who was leading the way. The two women approached the edge of the lake just beyond the tent and suddenly Chloe felt very nervous as she watched Beca sit down on the grass along the edge of the water, crossing her legs to get comfy. She saw the brunette look up at her with deep blue eyes, her expression oozing nerves, and Chloe took a deep breath before sitting beside her, also crossing her legs. Chloe's right knee accidentally came into contact with Beca's left knee, but to her surprise her best friend didn't flinch away like she so often did. Chloe looked intently at Beca as she so often did, but the brunette just stared out at the lake in front of them whilst glazing a blade of grass between her fingertips. What could she possibly be thinking?_

_"You know I really am sorry I didn't tell you sooner about my job." Chloe's heart skipped a beat as her best friend spoke in a low voice, presumably intending not to wake their fellow Bella's in the tent behind them, "I just didn't want you to freak out and feel like I was leaving you on your own."_

_"Are you kidding me? Beca, I'm so proud of you!" Chloe couldn't help the broad smile on her face as she gushed quietly to her best friend, who was now staring down at the blade of grass in her hand, a small smile growing on her face as the redhead complimented her. "From what you've said it sounds like you're really making waves at this record company. And you've made every Bella's rehearsal. Whist maintaining a long-distance relationship. AND all in your final year of college! Beca, you're an inspiration!" There was a brief hush of silence as only the morning birds sang out across the lake. The redhead didn't tug her eyes from the woman beside her, watching as the small smile fell from her face,_

_"So why do I feel like a failure?" Chloe's heart sank as her best friend slowly turned to her, her eyes glistening slightly as tears began to form and for a moment Chloe forgot how to breathe. She had never seen Beca look this vulnerable before. Ever. She desperately wanted to put her arms around her and hug her tight. But she knew that Beca hated physical contact and didn't want to upset her further. So Chloe chose to remain quiet, which was an invitation to the brunette to continue talking quietly, her eyes returning to look out at the lake, "My boss doesn't think I'm original enough to make it as a music producer."_

_"You've got Emily now though, right?"_

_She noticed Beca shrug then give a small nod, the brunette having asked the youngest Bella across the campfire last night if she wanted to collaborate on a demo to give to her boss. And Chloe was certain it would work, what with Emily's amazing ability to write fresh new songs. "So you produce an awesome demo, then you tell your boss to stick it, and take his job instead." Chloe said with a gentle nudge, something that made Beca release a whisper of a smile before looking down at her blade of grass,_

_"You and your pep talks…" Beca began, then let out a long sigh, "I should've told you sooner. It's not until last night that I realised the reason why I'd been so stressed out was because I was hiding something from you." Chloe felt a small sympathetic smile appear briefly on her face as she struggled to watch her best friend looking so sad. She was used to moody Beca, sure. But she wasn't used to sad Beca. Her heart skipped several beats as she saw Beca turn to look at her again, "I realised I can't juggle all this without you." Chloe swallowed as she suddenly became aware of how close they both were to one another. This whole site, full of lush green grass and large trees, and they were sat this close to each other._

_"Well I'm not going anywhere" Chloe whispered and she thought for a moment that she saw Beca briefly glance down at her lips. It was no more than a heartbeat before Beca had glanced back down at a new blade of grass that she'd picked, but Chloe maintained her focus on the brunette._

_"I don't know if Jesse and I are still together." Chloe's heart lurched as the words echoed around her head. Had she heard her correctly? The brunette shrugged, sniffling slightly, before continuing quietly, "I mean…we still talk here and there but…him being away at that film school in LA…I dunno, it's just been really difficult." Chloe wondered what part of it was difficult for Beca. The lack of physical contact? Having someone to talk to outside of The Bella's? Chloe knew those were things that she sometimes missed about not being in a relationship. Though since meeting Beca she had essentially gone off the idea of being in a relationship with anybody, perfectly happy in her own little world where feeling heartbroken about the unrequited love she held for the woman beside her was almost like a safety blanket now. "Don't get me wrong, he's still the super nice guy he was when we first started going out. But even though he's a nice guy, it doesn't mean I feel any less lonely."_

_Chloe took a deep breath. Part of her was screaming at her to just dive in and kiss Beca, declaring her love for her in the process, telling her she didn't need to feel lonely while she was there. But the more conscientious side of her was aware that not only was Beca still in a relationship, she was in a happy relationship. Right?_

_"Does he make you happy?"_

_"Well…yeah…"_

_"Then hang in there." It took all of Chloe's strength to encourage Beca to not consider breaking up with Jesse. Sure she didn't like the guy, but that was only because she was so in love with his girlfriend. He wasn't a bad guy. And he did make Beca happy. She'd seen it. "Look Beca, this long-distance thing, it's not forever. There's only five weeks left until graduation. Then we've got that long weekend in Copenhagen. Then…you and Jesse can start that big life you've both planned."_

_It was like a dagger to her heart to say it, but she'd only said it to try to reassure the brunette that everything would be okay. The thing was Beca's expression hadn't really changed, and Chloe's heart skipped a beat as she saw her best friend turn to her, her eyes glistening with tears once again. The redhead held her breath as she realised Beca was looking at her in a way she had never seen before. As though she so desperately wanted to say something but couldn't find the words. And there she was again, glancing down at Chloe's lips, before returning her eyes to the redhead's blue eyes. Suddenly a sneeze sounded from inside the large tent behind them and the two women jumped, breaking eye contact as they both stared out at the lake._

_Chloe's heart was racing, desperate to know what was going on in Beca's mind, but she couldn't find any words. All she could see flashing in her mind was the look the brunette had just given her. The look she had also given her last night over the campfire._

_"Thanks Chlo," she heard her best friend whisper to her and Chloe turned to see Beca already looking at her with a soft smile, "I couldn't imagine my life without you."_

_It was the most tender thing the woman had ever said to her and Chloe felt a smile grow on her face as she gave Beca a wink, whispering "What are best friends for huh?"_

_"God, don't let Aubrey hear you say that. She still doesn't really like me. She'd probably snare me up in one of her bear traps and leave me to starve to death if she knew we were best friends." Chloe brought a hand up to her mouth to stifle the laugh that she so desperately wanted to let out, and she nudged the woman beside her as if to tell her off for the comment. Chloe's heart soared as she saw a huge smile grow on her best friend's face and she couldn't help but feel how perfect this moment was. She was really going to miss Beca once they had graduated._

_The two women held each other's gaze for a moment, but jumped as out of nowhere they heard somebody clear their throat behind them. Chloe turned to look over her shoulder and her stomach plummeted as she noticed the tall figure of her oldest friend standing behind them, a suspicious expression on her face._

Beca managed to just reach the holdall of the plane, putting Chloe's handbag inside it carefully, before looking down at her best friend with a bemused grin. She furrowed her brow slightly as she noticed the change in the redhead's demeanour, Chloe now staring at the back of the seat in front of her while she held her bottle of water. She looked nervous and Beca wondered if it was because she was nervous about the flight. The brunette reached down and took the water bottle from Chloe's hand, unscrewing the lid and taking a quick slurp while she sat back down. She thought she could see Aubrey looking their way from the other side of the aisle, but she chose to remain her focus on her laptop that Chloe had kindly placed in front of her.

"Aw I miss my cup!" Beca heard the redhead beside her complain under her breath and she couldn't help but smile as Chloe sighed before taking the bottle back from Beca and taking another sip of water. Chloe had never liked drinking from a bottle. Alcoholic or not, Chloe's go-to drinking vessel was a large yellow plastic cup that Beca had stumbled upon on campus one day in college. Since then her best friend had used that cup within an inch of its life. Even back in their Brooklyn apartment Chloe would drink rosé from her favourite yellow cup.

_Beca slid her key into the front door of the Bella's house, nudging it open with her hip, and stepped inside. There was chatter going on from inside the lounge to her right, and she called out a casual "Hey" to the inhabitants. She wandered into the lounge and saw Cynthia-Rose, Staci, and Flo, sitting on the sofas, all of whom gave her a greeting, while Lily hung upside down on the back of the armchair beside them. Another normal day in The Bella's house. Beca proceeded through to the kitchen, her heart racing a little, hoping to find her co-captain and best friend. But the kitchen was empty and Beca wondered if Chloe was still on campus. "Any of you guys know where Chloe is?" she asked casually as she made her way back through the lounge._

_"I dunno, probably in her room?" Staci offered, and the brunette made her way from the lounge to the staircase. The group had been back at Barden University for their junior year of college for two weeks now. Their two-time super-senior, Chloe, who had purposefully failed Russian Literature two times to remain a member of The Bella's, had had a meltdown the moment she had returned to the house. Beca couldn't understand the fuss at first, but it turned out the redhead had misplaced her favourite yellow cup. Beca had to be honest she'd never really seen Chloe ever drink from that 'favourite' cup, but then she hadn't been one to notice small details like that. Sadly for Chloe nobody had been able to find her favourite yellow cup, and the redhead had seemed really glum about it, though the brunette couldn't understand why. It was just a plastic cup._

_Beca wandered up the stairs, entering the first floor of the three-floored house. She paused for a moment outside Chloe's room, the only room in the house that didn't cater for two roommates, something the Bella's had decided upon letting Chloe have in their sophomore year as Chloe had been the eldest of the group. She took a chance and tapped on the door, wondering if her best friend was in there. Her stomach lurched as she heard the familiar voice from inside the room call out to her to come in._

_Beca pushed her way into the bedroom. It was far from how she and Fat Amy had styled their room. The walls were a very pale lilac colour, with a couple of Leonardo DiCaprio posters neatly lined up on two of the walls. The wall by the large bay window was dedicated to photos of Chloe and The Bella's that had been taken over the past few years that the redhead had been at college for. Beca tried not to notice how many of the photos contained her, but she could imagine there was a lot. Chloe often insisted they had a selfie taken together. Fairy lights hung across the ceiling above the double bed that sat towards the back-centre of the room. And on that double bed sat Chloe, legs crossed with her laptop in front of her, looking up at her with a broad smile, "Hey Beca, everything ok?"_

_Beca began stepping into the room, pulling open her satchel as she approached the foot of the bed, "Yeah, erm…you know that yellow cup you kept banging on about?" She saw Chloe's eyes light up and she began to panic a little that she would end up letting the redhead down, "Chill. I've not found it but…I saw this in the shop on campus and…" Beca pulled out a yellow plastic cup that had the Barden University logo on it, "…well it's yellow?"_

_Beca felt uncomfortable as she noticed tears welling up in Chloe's eyes. It wasn't a bad sign but she didn't think this small action warranted tears. She'd just seen it and thought it would cheer her best friend up. The redhead stood up from her bed and walked over to the brunette, "You got this for me?"_

_Beca shrugged, trying not to notice how intense Chloe's eyes seemed when they were looking at her, so she looked down at the yellow cup in her hand, "Well…yeah…it's no big deal." And she thrust the cup out towards the redhead._

_"Thank you!" She heard Chloe breathe out with a smile as she took the cup, hardly able to believe that Beca had been so kind enough to think of her whilst out and about. Beca already felt uncomfortable. If she'd had a drink or two she probably would've stayed, not too bothered about the intensity of the atmosphere in the room now Chloe was stood mere inches from her. But she was stone-cold sober and feeling very awkward._

_"You're welcome." Beca said quickly before beginning to walk out of the room, but she stopped as she got to the doorway as something crossed her mind. A great conundrum that had plagued the mystery of Chloe's favourite yellow cup, "Hey what was the big deal about that cup anyway?" She saw Chloe shrug, her once broad smile lowering to a more embarrassed smile as the two women locked eyes,_

_"It was the cup you'd used in your Bella's audition." Beca froze. It was? She couldn't remember the cup at all. All she remembered was how embarrassed and awkward she'd felt turning up late for the audition she'd only decided to attend at the last minute. And that look on Chloe's face the moment Beca had appeared on stage had chucked butterflies in her stomach. She'd never seen anyone look at her like that before. It was so in Chloe's nature to remember something as insignificant as a yellow cup and turn it into something sentimental. "I was going to give it to you when we graduated. So you wouldn't forget us."_

_Beca hung on to Chloe's final words as they rang around her head. 'Us'. Did she mean 'us' as in The Bella's, or 'us' as in the two of them? Beca suddenly felt nervous. She didn't know what to do as she stood in Chloe's doorway. So she motioned to the yellow cup in Chloe's hand and gave her a forced grin to hide her nerves, "Well, now you have this cup from me…so you won't forget us"_

_"I couldn't even if I tried" the redhead said softly, and Beca felt too weird, so turned on her heels to make her way up to her bedroom, saying to Chloe on her way out that she'd see her at dinner time._

The flight from Rome to London would only be two hours twenty, something that was a relief to Aubrey, who had never been a keen flyer. Being beside the window was a big no-no for the blonde so she had welcomed Lily crawling across her lap to get into the window seat to her right. Fortunately Fat Amy had taken it upon herself to sit the other side of her and as a result had managed to distract her since take off with funny anecdotes from her time spent filming her TV show in Australia.

"Psst, check it out. Bhloe, nine o'clock." Amy hissed under her breath, and Aubrey leant forward slightly to look across the aisle at the other row of seats. The window seat was taken up by a middle-aged stranger who had spread pretty much all of his belongings out on his table in front of him and half of the table in the middle. On the aisle seat sat Beca, who was casually on her laptop, headphones on, concentrating on what was on the screen. Sat in the middle seat, squished up as close to Beca as possible, with her head rested on the brunette's shoulder seemingly asleep, sat Chloe.

Aubrey found herself furrowing her brow again at how relaxed Beca seemed with Chloe touching her. As though it were normal for the redhead to rest on Beca whilst she slept. "Beca said to me a couple of weeks ago that there was nothing going on between them…" the Australian whispered to Aubrey, and Lily quickly muttered something under her breath which sounded much like it not looking like nothing to her.

"She really said that?" Aubrey asked, in a concerned tone as she continued to look at Beca and Chloe.

"Yeah. Beca said that even though we'd made a nickname up for them it didn't mean they were meant to be together." Aubrey rolled her eyes and looked at Amy. So Beca hadn't exactly said there was nothing going on. In fact, if anything, Amy had probably freaked the brunette out and caused Beca to immediately deny anything. "But I dunno, I think even if they say there isn't anything going on, they're hardly acting like it." Fat Amy whispered, wiggling her eyebrows and giving Aubrey a grin before looking back over at Beca and Chloe. Aubrey knew that Amy had always been a big supporter of Beca and Chloe becoming an item. All through college she had teased them, which Aubrey had disapproved of purely because it raised Chloe's hopes that maybe just maybe something between her and Beca could happen. But it hadn't.

_"I almost kissed Beca." Aubrey sat up in her bed suddenly as she heard her best friend talking down the phone to her. It was 3am. Far too early to be getting a drunk call from the redhead. But what she'd revealed had very quickly got the blonde's attention._

_"What?!" Aubrey asked, bringing a hand to her head as she wondered how the heck Chloe had got herself into this situation. She could sense from the woman's tone that she was drunk. And upset. But mostly drunk._

_"I almost kissed Beca…she almost kissed me…"_

_"How…"_

_"I don't know, we were in the kitchen at the Treblemakers frat house…" the Treblemakers, of course they were to blame. Nothing good happened when the Treblemakers were involved, "and Fat Amy did something with spin the bottle and…I dunno…before I knew it Beca was up against me…" Up against her? What did that even mean? "...I could smell her perfume Bree. She smelt so gooooood" Aubrey rolled her eyes, laying back in her bed as her best friend began to sob down the phone, "I just love her so muuuch."_

_Aubrey sighed. This wasn't the first time she'd had a drunk call from an upset Chloe about loving Beca. It was, however, the first time she'd opened the call with confessing that they'd almost kissed, "I know you do…" she sympathised as the redhead continued to sob. She knew her best friend well enough to know that when she was drunk it was better just to sympathise with the woman until she either calmed herself down or drifted off to sleep._

_"And I could see it in her eyes Aubrey, she wanted to kiss me too, I know she did!"_

_"So why didn't she then?" Aubrey couldn't help asking, and she heard the change in her best friend's tone. She knew Chloe was frowning._

_"Because of stupid Jesse"_

_"You mean Jesse, Beca's boyfriend Jesse?" Aubrey said with a sarcastic tone. She had always liked that boy for keeping Beca under the right amount of control. He was the thing that would stop her Bella's from breaking up. So long as he was in the picture Beca would never fall for Chloe, which meant they would never have a massive break up, which meant her Bella's would never break up._

_"Yeah, he pulled her away from me. I hate him."_

_"You don't hate him Chloe, he makes Beca happy."_

_"I could make Beca happy…" Chloe mumbled._

_"I know, I know…" the blonde said softly, as her best friend began to fall asleep on the other end of the phone._

Aubrey looked across the aisle again just as Chloe began to stir and Beca pulled her headphones down off her ears. The redhead sat up slightly, a sleepy grin growing on her face as Aubrey thought she heard Beca quietly call her a "sleepyhead", to which Chloe had playfully slapped the brunette's upper arm before quietly asking her how she was getting on with her latest mix. Aubrey felt uncomfortable as she watched the two smiling and interacting, as though she was intruding on an intimate moment. She never thought something like this would happen between Chloe and Beca. Sure, she'd witnessed Chloe trying to be over-affectionate towards the alt-girl back in college, to which Beca had always flinched away or rolled her eyes. To her surprise though, Beca had casually pulled her headphones from around her neck and handed them to Chloe, who eagerly placed them on her own ears to listen to the latest masterpiece.

Aubrey's heart skipped a beat as she watched Fat Amy lean over the aisle and nudge the brunette's arm. Beca's reaction was every bit the reaction of someone who had been caught doing something she shouldn't have, and seemed surprised to notice both Fat Amy, Aubrey, and Lily looking over at her and Chloe. "Bhloeee!" The Australian quietly teased with a thumbs up, and Beca merely stuck her middle finger up at Fat Amy, while her cheeks flushed red in embarrassment.

For the final twenty minutes of the flight Beca seemed to recoil into herself, saying barely a word to Chloe, and nothing to Fat Amy or the rest of the Bella's. Aubrey could tell from Chloe's expression and tone of voice that she was confused by the sudden change in Beca's demeanour, having not noticed Fat Amy's earlier tease due to the headphones she had had on. Aubrey's heart sank as, once they had landed, Beca was quick to stand up and get her things together, choosing to step off the plane with Ashley and Jessica. Chloe was left behind to walk with Aubrey, Fat Amy, and Lily. They all walked in silence, Aubrey quietly fuming over Amy's meddling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a sucker for continuity in movies, so when I read Pitch Perfect's screenwriter Kay Cannon's comment on Twitter about Chloe's yellow cup in Pitch Perfect 2 (you know, the one she took EVERYWHERE with her) being the same cup that Beca used in Pitch Perfect 1 for her audition I thought I just had to write a scene to explain the inconsistency of the design of PP1's yellow cup and PP2's yellow cup :)


	5. The Red Keyring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beca and Chloe get lumbered with the double room. And the double bed...

_Beca let out a long sigh as she lay on her back, her hands together resting on her stomach as she felt her chest and stomach rise and fall with each breath she took. She turned her head to her left, seeing the familiar figure of her best friend in the single bed beside her, curled up on her right-side, breathing heavily as she slept. Beca resumed her eyes on the ceiling of their Final Spanish hotel room and for a fleeting moment was jealous of how quickly Chloe could fall asleep. As far as she was aware, and the evidence from the past two hotel rooms they had shared, Chloe fell asleep very quickly and was not easily disturbed.  
_

_As she stared up at the ceiling and listened to Chloe's heavy breathing, memories and thoughts came to the forefront of Beca's mind and she envisioned the memories as though they were projected onto a screen before her. The worst argument she'd ever had with Chloe when they'd been at that stupid acapella bootcamp in their final year of college. She remembered how heartbroken Chloe had looked when she had accused her of being too afraid to leave college. The moment they had spoken about it around the campfire with the other Bella's. Chloe had initiated Beca's audition song which they'd all sung together. The moment it had finished was the moment Beca had suddenly realised she may feel something more for Chloe than just friendship. She remembered laying awake that entire night before finally finding the courage to quietly ask Chloe if she wanted to go for a walk. She'd wanted to see if her feelings still stood, but whilst they sat by the lake together the topic had turned to Jesse. Beca's heart had immediately dropped when Chloe had encouraged her to stick with the difficult relationship, telling her it wouldn't be long-distance for much longer, and Beca had felt guilty for even thinking of feelings that she may have for the redhead because they were clearly unrequited._

_Beca turned around in her bed to face Chloe and she let out a long sigh. She hated the way Fat Amy always insisted on nicknaming them 'Bhloe'. It made her feel uncomfortable. Not because she and Chloe had a nickname. That didn't bother her. It was more because the word 'Bhloe' sounded so degrading. As though the two of them together was something to be ashamed about. Not that they were together. But in recent days it had occurred to Beca that actually Fat Amy was teasing her for a legitimate reason. Because Beca had come to realise that she did have feelings for Chloe. Strong feelings. And she really didn't know what to do._

The women gathered in a small circle in the lobby of their London hotel, suitcases gathered between them as they stood, drained, waiting for Fat Amy who had gone over to the reception desk to check them in. Beca, who had been decidedly unsociable since the flight by putting her headphones on, perched on the edge of her upright suitcase as she listened to a song on Spotify. She was grumpy and irritable, a curse she had whenever she was tired. But above all things she was annoyed that Fat Amy _still_ insisted on using ' _Bhloe_ ' as a romantic term for her and Chloe. She'd decided that for the meantime if she didn't interact with the redhead in public then they were less likely to get teased. Fortunately her group were sympathetic to her hot-headed nature having travelled with her during their US Tour a couple of years back. And they had been cooped up on a tour bus throughout that time. At least during this tour they'd been staying in hotels.

Beca slid her headphones around her neck when Fat Amy approached the group with a big grin. She held five large keyrings with a key attached to each of them. "Alright, sooooo we've got four twin rooms and a double." Beca furrowed her brow slightly, much like a couple of the Bella's had. All their previous hotels had provided twin rooms for them, why not now? It was then that Beca noticed four of the keyrings were blue, presumably belonging to the twin rooms, and one keyring was red, which was presumably the double room. Amy began handing the keys out, "Jessica and Ashley a key for you. Staci and Flo a key for you. Cynthia-Rose and Lily here you go." Beca swallowed loudly. There was only one blue keyring left, then there was the red keyring. For some reason, throughout the tour, Beca had always ended up sharing a room with Chloe, which hadn't been a problem when their room had been a twin and there were two single beds inside. Her biggest fear was that by sharing a double room with Chloe, the Bella's would start gossiping about them. She didn't mind that so much for her sake, but she was concerned that it may upset Chloe in some way, the redhead being far more sensitive than her.

Now the only people remaining in the group was Fat Amy, Aubrey, Chloe and herself. If it had been three years ago then the room-sharing would have been a no-brainer: she would have gone with Fat Amy, as they had been roommates throughout college. And Aubrey and Chloe had been roommates whilst Aubrey had been at Barden University, so it would've made sense that they shared a room on this tour too. But for some reason, because Beca and Chloe shared an apartment together in NY anyway and had arrived at the first hotel in Spain together at the beginning of the tour, the Bella's had assumed the two would want to share a room too. At each hotel they stayed in. And Beca hadn't minded in the first instance. But during the tour it hadn't been uncommon for Fat Amy to make small, embarrassing comments that implied that Beca fancied Chloe, that Chloe fancied Beca, or that the two of them were made for each other, or even that they may be meeting up in secret. Comments that irritated Beca so much so that she was looking forward to the tour ending so that if she _happened_ to glance at Chloe she wouldn't be immediately teased. Because she liked glancing at Chloe.

Beca held her breath as watched Fat Amy hold the final blue keyring towards Aubrey, "Aubrey, here's our key, come on, you and me." Beca's stomach flipped. She and Chloe would be sharing a room for this leg of the tour, but this time they would also have to share a bed. She saw Fat Amy hold the final keyring out at Chloe who had a broad smile on her face, "Chloe, you and Beca can have the room at the end." And the redhead took the keyring eagerly, "Ooh the double!" she exclaimed excitably in a way that only Chloe did and Beca rolled her eyes, knowing full well that the redhead was presuming this meant a bigger wardrobe. Chloe had this way of oozing an innocent child-like excitement about the small things in life. Like the time some kid in the coffee shop back in NYC had left a bottle of bubbles behind, so she had taken them home and found a lot of pleasure in blowing as many bubbles with one breath, or the biggest bubble possible. Beca had to admit she'd enjoyed it too, bubbles having never crossed her mind as an activity before then. Plus Chloe's giggling had been like music to her ears.

As the Bella's gathered their suitcases Beca sighed, "You know, guys, just because Chloe and I live together doesn't mean we have to share a room too. I see enough of this girl as it is without having to share a room with her." But the women took little notice, with several of them telling her it was "alright" and that they'd "shared a room in the past six hotels" so they "might as well share in this one too". Beca let out another sigh as she pulled her headphones back up to her ears and began following the Bella's to the hotel's elevator. At least they were all on the same floor.

It was decided that they would all drop their suitcases off to their rooms, then meet down in the lobby in an hour to go out for lunch. Beca continued listening to music, even as the Bella's peeled off from the group two-by-two, until soon it was only her and Chloe left walking towards the hotel room further up the corridor. Chloe glanced at her whilst unlocking the door. Beca pulled her headphones back down around her neck and couldn't help the slight "wow" that tumbled out of her mouth as she saw the room that would be theirs for the next four nights. She heard Chloe elicit her little signature excitable squeal as she ran over to the large wardrobe that stood to the right-side of the bedroom.

Beca hadn't realised the small smile that had appeared in the corner of her mouth which quickly dropped when she saw the double bed. Suddenly she felt very nervous. She hadn't shared a bed or been in a shared-sleeping situation with Chloe since the acapella bootcamp in their final year at Barden University. And back then they'd been sharing a tent with eight other Bella's.

_Beca lay on her left side, eyes closed, ignoring how uncomfortable sleeping on the ground was as the earth beneath the ground sheet of the tent dug into her left hip. She wasn't sure what time it was nor how long she'd drifted off for. The last thing she remembered was laying on her back, staring up at the canvas ceiling of the tent that she was sharing with her fellow Bella's on their final night of this bootcamp. This stupid retreat that Chloe had insisted on. Except…Beca had surprised herself last night around the campfire when she'd suddenly realised that maybe this hadn't been such a ridiculous idea after all._

_Beca kept her eyes closed, taking a deep inhale of breath and smiling as she smelt Chloe's perfume. She twirled a lock of hair between her fingers and thumb, presuming it to be hers, whilst she mulled over last night. Chloe had initiated her audition song around the campfire. She had looked over at her tentatively as she'd begun singing the first line of that song and Beca had simply smiled, surprised that her best friend had plucked that song out of nowhere, a song that she and their fellow Bella's had sung to death together during their sophomore year. There had been a moment when Chloe had looked at her intently, hopefully, as she'd sung the lyrics "and I'm leaving tomorrow, what d'you say?" And Beca felt herself being held in Chloe's gaze, as though the redhead was asking her specifically to run away with her. Her heart had been racing as she'd begun to sing the next line of the song only for Fat Amy to chime in, which had made the brunette jump and drag her attention from Chloe whilst the Bella's continued with the song._

_Beca swallowed as she remembered the song finishing. She remembered looking down at her feet as she sang the final lyric, pausing as she stared at her fingers. Flashing in her mind had been Chloe's face, the expression she'd had on her face as they had sung to one another from across the campfire. And suddenly Beca had felt butterflies in her stomach, remembering what her best friend had said to her in the tent the night before, about how this retreat would help them find everything out about each other. But Beca hadn't banked on finding out something about herself. And a small smile had grown on her face as she realised that she felt for Chloe something that she didn't feel for any of the other Bella's. She wasn't sure what, but it was something. And the brunette had turned to look at Chloe with a shy smile, her heart skipping a beat as she saw that not only had her best friend already been looking at her, but the moment their eyes had locked Chloe's face had opened up into a broad smile, clearly thrilled to see Beca looking over at her._

_Beca opened her eyes, surprised to see that the dawn light was slowly beginning to arrive, giving the tent just enough light for Beca to become aware of her surroundings. She glanced down at the lock of hair that she had been twirling between her fingers and thumb and her breath caught in her throat as she realised that she had been twirling the end of a lock of Chloe's red hair as it splayed out on the pillow they were sharing. Beca looked from the hair over to Chloe's face. Her heart skipped a beat as she realised the redhead wasn't asleep as she's first thought but was instead staring up at the canvas ceiling deep in thought. Neither woman had spoken to one another since being around that campfire last night. Not even when they had settled down in the tent with the rest of their Bella's around midnight. Beca wondered if Chloe was also thinking about the campfire last night. And if she was then had she had that same odd feeling that Beca had had? Butterflies dashing around her stomach. Leading to imagining a scenario where maybe they spoke about their feelings, and realised they both felt the same way, and decided to actually do something about it before it was too late. Before they both graduated and had to go home to two different states. Perhaps never to see each other again._

_Beca's stomach lurched as she continued to look at the silhouette of her best friend. There was only five weeks left before they graduated. She couldn't imagine what it would be like not seeing the beautiful redhead every day. Wait what? Did she just call Chloe beautiful? Beca frowned as she thought about her wording. Sure…yes of course she was beautiful. I mean, she had those bright blue eyes that shone whenever she was excited about something, which was far more than any other twenty four year old probably should get. And Beca had to admit she really liked Chloe's hands. Her fingers were long and slender, and she so often swung them about dramatically when she was talking. Beca smirked as she thought about the times Chloe would get very dramatic. She was so passionate about things. Beca admired her for that. It was annoying, sure. But still admiral in Beca's books._

_She continued to look at her best friend, wondering what was going through her mind. Chloe had revealed last night to the group just how scared she was about graduating and Beca wondered if that was what she was thinking about now. They only had five weeks left and Beca had to admit to herself, she was scared too. Scared because graduating meant diving into the real world. And her experience of the 'real world' interning at Residual Heat hadn't been nearly as glamorous or positive as she'd hoped it would be when she'd accepted the job. So for now she wanted to make the most of the safe life she had here with The Bella's. Here with her best friend._

_Beca let go of the small lock of hair that she'd forgotten she'd been holding, and gently nudged Chloe's left shoulder. She saw the redhead turn her head slowly to face her and Beca noticed Chloe swallow loudly. She knew why. Their noses were a mere inch from one another. If there was anyone she could talk to about her career fears it was this woman, who had been her biggest advocate from the moment they had first met._

_"Wanna go for a walk?" Beca found herself whispering almost silently to her best friend, trying to ignore the feel of Chloe's breath on her face. She knew she would say yes and the redhead indeed nodded her head. So Beca crawled out of her sleeping bag as silently as possible, hoping not to wake the Bella's around her. Particularly Fat Amy who would no doubt want to join them. Beca didn't want anyone to join them. She paused for a moment once she had stood up, looking down at her best friend who was trying to crawl out of her own sleeping bag quietly. Beca held her hand out to Chloe which she immediately took to help her stand. The brunette found her heart rate increase slightly, realising that she liked the feel of Chloe's hand in hers. So she changed her hand position so she could still hold her hand and easily guide them out of the tent, tiptoeing over the Bella's as they went._

_The early morning daylight hit Beca's face and she had to let go of Chloe's hand to rub her eyes slightly while slowly walking over to the edge of the lake that stood just beyond the large tent they had been staying in. She knew Chloe was walking alongside her but was disappointed to notice that the woman had folded her arms. She may have held her hand again if her hand had been free. So instead of walking further Beca decided to sit down on the grass by the lake, crossing her legs as she did so. This was far enough from the tent that their friends wouldn't listen in on their conversation if they were awake. The thing was, what was she going to say that she wouldn't want The Bella's to know? Beca was unsure._

_She looked up to her left at Chloe who was looking down at her nervously. They hadn't been alone like this in a long time. And in the past Beca wouldn't have felt nervous. She wouldn't have felt anything actually. It was just Chloe. But after last nights campfire…well that was the thing. Now instead of it being just Chloe it was…Chloe. She was alone with Chloe. The girl who had given her stomach butterflies with just one look three and a half years ago at her Bellas audition, and then last night. Beca turned to look at the lake as she heard Chloe take a deep breath before sitting beside her, crossing her legs, her right knee resting against Beca's left. This girl who was the only person on the planet who Beca didn't feel awkward being around. She even struggled with Jesse sometimes, and he was her boyfriend! At least…she thought he still was? Beca pulled a blade of grass from the ground beside her and began moving it between her fingertips as she looked out at the lake. She could tell Chloe was looking intently at her, desperate for her to say something. The first thing since they had been in the tent._

_"You know I really am sorry I didn't tell you sooner about my job." Beca said nervously in a low voice. It has been plaguing her over the past few months. Every time she had to dash away from rehearsals. Every time she had handed Chloe a new arrangement for the Bella's to rehearse, knowing it hadn't been up to standard because she was so tired from juggling college assignments with her internship. The guilt she had felt when Chloe had given her concerned looks, clearly sensing that something was up, so Beca would just scurry upstairs to her room. "I just didn't want you to freak out and feel like I was leaving you on your own."_

_"Are you kidding me?" Beca heard her best friend exclaim quietly, "Beca, I'm so proud of you!" Beca moved her focus down to the blade of grass in her hands as she felt a huge surge of emotion wash over her body. This was uncharacteristic for the brunette. At least it had been, until this past year and the pressures of having to juggle everything whilst keeping it a secret from her very best friend. The woman who was currently gushing about how inspirational she was. Beca felt a lump form in her throat as Chloe mentioned her maintaining a long-distance relationship, and she could feel tears begin to well up in her eyes. It was all well and good Chloe complimenting her. It was what Chloe was best at. Telling her all the ways that she was awesome. And a small smile that Beca hadn't even realised had been on her face dropped. She turned her head to her left to look at her best friend,_

_"So why do I feel like a failure?" She stared into Chloe's bright blue eyes for a moment as she revealed the one thing that had been on her mind for so long. Beca was surprised that the redhead hadn't put her arm around her to pull her into a hug, or taken her hand as some form of comfort. Normally Beca would flinch away from that sort of contact, even from Chloe, but right now she could really do with a hug. Chloe hadn't said anything though, so Beca turned back to the lake, trying to blink back her tears as she spoke, "My boss doesn't think I'm original enough to make it as a music producer."_

_"You've got Emily now though, right?" She heard her best friend offer with a quiet optimistic tone, which Beca shrugged at before nodding. "So you produce an awesome demo, then you tell your boss to stick it, and take his job instead." Beca couldn't help but smile slightly at Chloe's suggestion, looking down at the blade of grass in her hand. This was exactly what she'd needed. Chloe was exactly what she'd needed and realising this made her even more disappointed in herself that she'd not told her best friend sooner,"You and your pep talks…" Beca joked before letting out a long sigh and confessed quietly, "I should've told you sooner."_

_She couldn't bring herself to look at the woman beside her. Not yet anyway. She was nervous. And confused. What should she have told her? Obviously about the internship. But what about those butterflies Chloe had given her last night after that look they'd shared? She'd felt like that before, at her audition three and a half years before then. What if she'd acted upon that feeling later on at the Barden Acapella Hood Night? Before catching Chloe making out with some guy. Maybe then she would have been the one making out with her? There'd been nothing in the rules against making out with a fellow Bella… "It's not until last night that I realised the reason why I'd been so stressed out was because I was hiding something from you." She hadn't realised that she'd been hiding her feelings for Chloe from Chloe, more like. But then was it hiding if she hadn't really known herself?_

_Beca took a deep breath. Maybe she'd over thought everything. The curse of a hectic couple of days and uncomfortable sleepless nights. Was she really admitting that she had feelings for Chloe that were more than normal for a best friend to feel towards a best friend of the same sex? Perhaps she was just exhausted. Yeah, that was it. She'd laugh about this after a good sleep in her own bed. Beca turned her head to look back over at Chloe and caught a pair of bright blue eyes looking at her. Shit. No this definitely wasn't exhaustion. "I realised I can't juggle all this without you." Beca managed to reveal, but she wasn't really paying any attention to what she'd said. Nor was she really paying attention to Chloe's response. Something about not going anywhere…? Beca glanced briefly down at Chloe's lips. Shit, no, definitely not exhaustion. She was really noticing just how badly she was crushing on her best friend right now and, embarrassed, she turned away to resume her focus on her hands that now had a new blade of grass between them._

_Beca felt confused and guilty all at once. How had this happened? When had this happened? Was it last night? Or had she felt like this about Chloe for longer but just hadn't noticed? Too busy wrapped up in The Bella's and College and Jesse. Shit, Jesse. Beca's stomach knotted. Now there was a conundrum. "I don't know if Jesse and I are still together." She confessed quietly out loud. It was the truth. She'd not been able to afford to get out to LA to see him and vice-versa. In fact neither of them had had the time! They'd been great at calling and Facetiming each other at the beginning of the year, but then school and work and life had got in the way. Suddenly Beca had found that she and Jesse were now going up to five days without really speaking to each other apart from the odd text. "I mean…we still talk here and there but…him being away at that film school in LA…I dunno, it's just been really difficult." And now the added difficulty was her having some sort of feelings for her best friend, who appeared to still look at her, speechless. Was she just feeling like this because she missed the comfort Jesse seemed to give her? She missed the sex. She definitely missed the sex. Seeing him for five days over Christmas really hadn't been enough to satisfy her libido for the five months until she saw him next. And surely he had to feel the same way? She'd asked him if he was okay with them remaining in a long-distance relationship and had admired his patience when he'd told her that he was happy to wait for her to graduate before she joined him in LA. That it would be worth it. "Don't get me wrong, he's still the super nice guy he was when we first started going out. But even though he's a nice guy, it doesn't mean I feel any less lonely."_

_And there it was. She'd finally admitted the thing that had been bugging her about being apart from Jesse. She'd been feeling lonely. He'd been the only one who'd known about her internship. Well until Fat Amy had stumbled across her ID badge. She still wasn't sure why she'd begged Amy not to tell Chloe about the internship. This past year would have been so much easier had her best friend known. But she knew now. And it was like a huge weight had lifted off her shoulders. She wouldn't need to feel so lonely now that Chloe knew._

_"Does he make you happy?" Beca felt her stomach twist again as she heard Chloe ask the simple question. Nobody had asked her that before. Of course friends and family in the past had told her that they could see he made her happy. But nobody had asked her. And Beca paused. He did make her happy. Right?_

_"Well…yeah…" she replied thoughtfully._

_"Then hang in there." Chloe said reassuringly, and Beca's heart sank. She focused on picking at the blade of grass in her hand. She'd just spent pretty much the whole night staring at that canvas ceiling in that tent, inches from Chloe's body, steadily coming to the realisation that she may have feelings for her best friend. She had also tried to work out from her memory if Chloe had shown any signs recently of having feelings for her in return. And she'd kinda rested her hopes on the way Chloe had looked at her over the campfire last night that maybe she might. Oh and the fact that she'd revealed to Beca two nights ago that she'd regretted not experimenting more in college. Beca was now kicking herself for having not enquired more into what she may have meant, but the brunette had been too grumpy at the time. Now it appeared that Chloe didn't feel the same way about Beca as Beca did for her. Beca still looked down at the blade of grass as the redhead continued, "Look Beca, this long-distance thing, it's not forever. There's only five weeks left until graduation. Then we've got that long weekend in Copenhagen. Then…you and Jesse can start that big life you've got planned."_

_Hearing it being said out loud by someone other than Jesse made Beca feel absolutely terrified about life after college. She was not only going to be living away from home, she would be living with Jesse. In a long term relationship. As adults. In the real world. Suddenly she envisioned her independence and career dreams fall away. Jesse had been nothing but supportive with her decision to apply and accept her internship at Residual Heat. But he was also very intense emotionally. She knew the moment she joined him in LA he would begin talking about the next step in their relationship, which would probably be marriage. Then children. Or children then marriage. And Beca could feel tears welling up again in her eyes as she realised that maybe everything Jesse was planning for them, their 'big life' as Chloe had just described it, wasn't what Beca actually wanted. Graduating would mean these hypothetical commitments would soon have to become a reality and the brunette just wasn't ready._

_Five weeks left before graduation. That was all that was left of an easier life. Beca began to wonder what her college years would have been like had she never met Jesse. Had she never dived into a relationship with him at the end of their freshman year. And she turned her head back over to her best friend. Her heart was beginning to race. She would've kissed Chloe. Definitely. Totally. Kissing was Beca's most favourite thing to do. She loved it more than sex. And it would've been awkward for a while afterwards if she had but it would've been worth it. Would Chloe have returned the kiss or pushed her away? If she had had a chance over the past few years to be alone with the redhead, and they had maybe had a couple of drinks, yes she would've definitely kissed her. Blamed the alcohol of course. But definitely kissed her. And Beca realised she was now looking at Chloe's lips, so returned her gaze to those bright blue eyes._

_Suddenly a sneeze sounded from inside the large tent behind them and the two women jumped, breaking eye contact as they both stared out at the lake. Beca felt her heart racing and she finally exhaled, having not realised she'd been holding her breath. The disruption had been enough to shake Beca out of the numbing thought process she'd been enchanted in and she turned to look back at Chloe. The redhead appeared to be breathing rather quickly as she looked out at the lake and Beca smiled softly. Her terrifying future was looming, but the brunette suddenly felt calm as she realised that so long as she remained best friends with the woman sat beside her everything would be okay._

_"Thanks Chlo," Beca saw the redhead turn to look at her, "I couldn't imagine my life without you." And her heart skipped a beat as she saw a broad smile grow on her best friend's face while Chloe gave her a wink, "What are best friends for huh?"_

"What, they couldn't even put two singles in this room? It's big enough." Beca observed loudly as Chloe lugged her suitcase onto her side of the double bed, the right-side, the same side her single bed had been in every hotel before then. "Hmm technically we're both single?" she heard Chloe say in a chirpy teasing tone and Beca rolled her eyes as her best friend shot her a cheeky wink before turning to open the wardrobe.

"You know what I mean." the brunette said grumpily as she chucked her suitcase onto her side of the bed, opened it up, and pulled out her laptop. "You know you don't have to put your clothes in the wardrobe they provide." Beca said in a tone that suggested she thought Chloe was crazy. Chloe on the other hand did not look at her, and instead began hastily hanging up her clothes in the large wardrobe, "Uhuh, and _you_ know that I hate leaving my clothes in my suitcase!" her tone sounding tired and slightly harassed. Beca held her hands up in surrender with a small grin, "and _you_ …need another nap!" the brunette accused and she saw a flicker of relief cross her best friend's face, as though having desperately sought permission to nap late-morning.

The redhead spent several minutes in silence unpacking her suitcase whilst the other occupant sprawled over her side of the bed with her Macbook open on her lap. The silence would have been awkward for anyone else in the room, however these two knew each other so well that they never needed to make an excuse for their quietness. They were, as Chloe had once so sweetly dubbed it " _unapologetically themselves_ " around each other.

Beca didn't look at Chloe as the redhead sighed and collapsed onto her side of the bed, having been too focussed on something on her laptop. "I don't know how you always manage to be ready so quickly" Chloe said with a yawn and Beca merely shrugged, "the beauty of choosing not to unpack…"

All of a sudden Beca's heart skipped a beat and she furrowed her brow at the feeling. At that very same time she realised the reason behind it was Chloe, who had scooched over to her side of the bed and leant her head against her upper arm, peering at her laptop's contents. "What you doing?" Chloe asked innocently.

"Just looking to see how many people may be turning up to our show tomorrow…What are _you_ doing?!" Beca said seriously, faining her disgust at Chloe's close proximity, but as she looked down at her best friend she caught a set of bright blue eyes looking up at her and Beca couldn't help the soft smile that slowly grew on her face. Behind closed doors, when it was just the two of them, she really didn't mind this. Them. Just hanging out together, without the fear of Fat Amy appearing out of the blue and using the nickname _Bhloe_.

She watched Chloe look away and reach her left hand out to tilt the laptop down so she could also see the contents on the screen, "Nothing," the redhead said quietly, sleepily, "Just seeing what you were doing…" Beca rolled her eyes, resuming her attention on the laptop screen, pretending not to be aware of Chloe who seemed to be deep in thought and had begun delicately tracing the fingertips of her left hand over the image of a pair of headphones that Beca had tattooed on the inside of her left wrist. Beca's heart was racing as she felt her left arm tingle. All the grumpiness she had been feeling earlier seeped away. She couldn't quite pinpoint the moment the redhead had managed to break through her walls, giving her the confidence and security to feel comfortable enough to receive physical contact like she was getting now. But she had.

" _So there's something I've been meaning to ask you." Beca awkwardly said as she packed her laptop away in her hand luggage, ready to take to Rome airport with them. She glanced across the room to the other single bed where Chloe stood, busy trying to decide which jacket to travel in and which to pack. "Yeah?" She heard her best friend respond, though she could tell the redhead wasn't really listening as she shrugged her first jacket off and pulled her second jacket on, before checking her reflection in the long mirror on the wardrobe door. "Have I done something wrong?"_

_She saw Chloe furrow her brow, looking at her from the mirror reflection, "No. Why? Do you feel like you've done something wrong?" The redhead asked curiously as she shrugged her second jacket off and returned to her single bed to pick the first jacket up to try back on again._

_"No it's just…" Beca shrugged as she struggled to zip her suitcase up, trying to not sound like what she was saying was a big deal, "…you never sit with me. In the hotel lounge." She started to feel extra awkward as she realised just how childish she was sounding. Chloe got to see her all the time, they lived together for crying out loud, she was well within her right to sit with other Bella's. She noticed Chloe had paused by the mirror, halfway through taking her chosen jacket off, looking at Beca in the mirror's reflection with a slightly bemused grin as though trying to work out where this observation had come from. Beca cleared her throat nervously "You know what, it doesn't matter…sorry…I just…I'm just being weird-"_

_"-I didn't think you'd want me to sit with you." Chloe interjected and Beca looked up from her suitcase as her best friend went back over to her single bed to pack the rejected jacket that she wouldn't be travelling in, "I know how you get when Amy teases you about us so I figured…better not to give her anything to tease you about."_

_Beca gave Chloe a grateful smile which the redhead reciprocated. It was true, she did hate the Australian teasing her. It so often put her in a bad mood. And it didn't matter that Chloe didn't sit with her, they always had moments like this. Sharing a twin room wasn't really much different from sharing an apartment. Back home it was normal for them to wander into each other's bedrooms freely. Still, Beca couldn't wait for the tour to finish so they could return to normality. "Do you want to pack anything in my suitcase? I think I have a bit of space?" She heard Chloe ask and Beca tugged out her pyjamas, throwing them across to the redhead, before successfully closing her suitcase. She smiled as she heard Chloe chuckle whilst saying something along the lines of Beca probably being able to fit more in her suitcase if she actually folded her clothes._

After a few minutes Beca glanced down at Chloe who had fallen asleep beside her and the brunette couldn't help the small smile that grew on her face as she saw her best friend's long slender fingers delicately wrapped around her forearm. They only had fifteen minutes before they had to meet the other Bella's for lunch but Beca figured she'd let Chloe sleep for a little while. One thing she knew the redhead would be desperate to spend the afternoon doing was shopping, so this nap would probably do her the world of good.


	6. The Outburst

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It all becomes too much for Beca...

"What about this?" Chloe said brightly, and she turned on the spot to face her best friend who was several feet away, sauntering between the low clothing rails, glazing her hands over the fabrics though not really enthused about any of the items for sale. She saw the brunette look up at her and give her a simple shrug, "yeah…sure…" she said in her 'I really don't care' kind of voice. Clothes shopping was far from Beca's favourite thing to do, which is why Chloe had been so surprised when the brunette had agreed to step into this small boutique in Camden Market with her. The rest of The Bella's had seemed to disperse the moment they had arrived, each bustling between the varied stalls that were available in a cluster within the belly of the market, leaving Beca and Chloe to explore the popular destination alone.

Chloe took off the hat that she had just put on, placing it back on the boutique's quirky hat stand before picking up a different one that she liked the look of, "Okay, how about this?" She looked over at her best friend and striked a pose, her heart skipping a beat momentarily as the woman smiled at her with another shrug. "Come on Beca I need your opinion!" The redhead said in a whiney tone as she put her hands on her hips and gave a little pout. She needed a hat. She wanted a hat. But she wanted a hat that Beca thought she would look good wearing. Like this hat. She really liked this hat.

"It doesn't matter what I think Chloe, because we both know that you'll go with the hat that you like anyway"

"You don't know that. Your opinion could really matter to me!"

She heard the brunette let out a sigh, shaking her head slightly with a small smile as she slowly made her way towards her, "I know you Chloe Beale," Chloe felt her palms get a little tacky as Beca stopped a couple of feet from her, "and I know that you prefer this hat to the other one." Chloe swallowed loudly at their close proximity and she thought she saw Beca quickly glance at her lips before looking into her eyes. Beca never liked to stand this close to her in public, not like this anyway, face to face, looking into each other's eyes. Chloe wondered if the brunette was okay with it because The Bella's weren't around, and the boutique they were in had quite low lighting, and the vibe of being hidden away from sight. "Am I wrong?"

The redhead smiled at her best friend's question, and she rolled her eyes slightly with a giggle, "No, I really do prefer this hat." And Beca grinned, reaching her hands up above her head in victory as she laughed out an "I knew it!" Chloe spun on her heels with a grin to peer at her reflection in the mirror. Yes this was the one. She noticed her best friend approach her side, also looking at their reflection, and Chloe couldn't help but think how good they looked together. Acting on impulse Chloe reached out and swung her right arm around Beca's shoulders, affectionately gripping her upper arm, "What do you think? Should I get it?"

She felt a bit giddy, turning her head towards her best friend as Beca made to look at her. Both women grinned at each other and Chloe suddenly realised that Beca had snaked her left arm around the redhead's waist and was gripping her left hip gently. There seemed to be no awkward atmosphere, and Chloe saw her best friend raise her eyebrows with a teasing grin, "Care to share which suitcase you plan on packing that hat in if you do buy it, Beale?"

Chloe gently tilted her head as she looked up at the ceiling with a grin, pretending to think, "Hmm well maybe if someone actually folded her clothes…" and she looked back at Beca who had opened her mouth in surprise, a grin still apparent on her face, "…then maybe I would have room to fit it in my own suitcase."

"Is that so?"

"Uhuh," Chloe grinned as Beca reached her right hand up and tugged the peak of the hat down so it obscured some of the redhead's view which made Chloe laugh loudly, enjoying the feel of her best friend's arm around her waist.

"Well I guess you'd better get it then." The brunette said with a slightly flirty tone, and Chloe pulled the hat off her head as Beca gave her a little wink and stepped away from her. The redhead had frozen to the spot as she watched Beca slowly make her way to the front of the boutique, with the same unenthusiastic pace as she'd had when they'd first entered. She was almost certain she'd never heard Beca speak to her in that flirtatious tone before, and Chloe couldn't help the big gawky grin that grew on her face as butterflies raced around her stomach.

Two hours later and Chloe nudged her hip against the door of her hotel room to push it open as she dragged her body and several shopping bags over the threshold. She smiled as she chucked the bags on the large double bed, thrilled with her bargain purchases she had found during this afternoon's adventure at the local London market. They'd only been here a few hours and she'd already bought what Beca had deemed more than a hand-luggage's worth of clothes. Chloe grinned as she thought about her best friend's change in behaviour recently. This tour was already far better than the US tour they had been on two years ago. Back then Chloe had gone out of her way to avoid Beca, to try to remove any feelings she'd had for the brunette. But from the moment she had called Beca to tell her that she would move to New York with her, all the feelings had come flooding back.

Now she felt as though she loved Beca more than she had ever loved her before. And while her younger self would have been in pieces by now, desperately craving the love back, Chloe was happy enough to continue her life being best friends with the brunette. Living for the moments when it was just the two of them, curled up together, Chloe usually napping, and Beca usually on her laptop.

" _Chlo?" Chloe stirred, taking a deep breath as she heard her name being quietly spoken, a gentle hand delicately pushing back her hair from her face. "Chlo, time to wake up." Chloe furrowed her brow slightly as she brought her left hand up to her face, covering her eyes with her fingers as she softly groaned and she heard Beca chuckle beside her, "Come on sleepyhead, we've got to go down and meet The Bella's in five minutes."_

_"I wanna lay like this forever" Chloe sang out the line from 'Truly, Madly, Deeply' by 'Savage Garden' with a mumble, making Beca chuckle again._

_"I know, and believe me the last thing I want to do is trawl around the shops this afternoon, but Aubrey would hunt us down if we didn't join in on the group bonding."_

_Chloe sighed as she slowly opened her eyes, pulling her hand down from her face and returning it to where it had been when she had woken from her nap, which was laid delicately on Beca's left wrist. She rubbed her nose slightly with her right hand, which she had slid up from between Beca's body and her own, and she let out a sigh. Sometimes Aubrey's insistence that The Bella's did everything together to 'keep the bond' was exhausting. Chloe loved The Bella's to pieces, sure. They were her family. But when she was this cosy she struggled to find the motivation to move._

_"Come on. We're in London!" She heard Beca say as the brunette closed the lid of her laptop and sat up, causing Chloe to sink back into the pillow beneath her head. She closed her eyes with a sigh, feeling herself start to drift off again. After a short pause, a squeak emanated from the redhead's mouth as she felt fingers jabbing her in her left side just above her hip and Chloe seized up as a loud giggle forced its way out of her mouth. Her eyes shot open and she saw that Beca had leant over to tickle her in the one place she was her most ticklish._

_"No, stop, okay, OKAY I'll get up, I'm getting up!" Chloe pleaded with one final laugh, sitting up as Beca chuckled. She grinned as she watched the brunette get up off the bed and rummage in her suitcase. A toothbrush landed in Chloe's lap and she smiled as Beca shuffled into their ensuite with her own toothbrush and the toothpaste they were sharing. It was the redhead who had started the hygiene habit, cleaning her teeth before going out anywhere, even if it was just before lunch. Beca had started following the habit since sharing a room with her during this tour._

_"We're going to be laaate!" She heard her best friend mumble out to her from the ensuite where she had begun to brush her teeth and Chloe grinned as she glided off the bed to join her._

As Chloe began unpacking her purchases she heard a knock at the door. She opened it to see Aubrey stood with a nervous smile.

"Hey Aubrey, come in!" The redhead said cheerily, returning to the clothes to hang them up in the wardrobe. She heard the blonde close the door behind her. Aubrey had been Chloe's roommate during the first four years of college. Chloe had been due to graduate with her, but something had happened in their final year that made Chloe want to stay. Or rather someone had happened. Chloe had never admitted it to Aubrey, but she had a feeling the blonde knew that Beca had been the reason why Chloe hadn't been ready to graduate college. The redhead couldn't bring herself to leave Beca when she had finally found her. Someone who she had fallen in love with. She knew Aubrey had always secretly blamed Beca for Chloe being unable to move on with her life. Chloe had begged her to never tell Beca, something that Aubrey had respected, but only because the redhead was her best friend. Chloe placed one of her new dresses on a hanger, "Everything okay?" she asked the blonde from her position by the wardrobe.

Suddenly she felt nervous as she heard Aubrey exhale dramatically, "Okay I have to ask," Aubrey began and Chloe froze, she knew that tone, "what's going on between you and Beca?" Chloe's heart lurched. She stared into the wardrobe, straightening the dress nervously.

"Nothing's going on." She said simply, honestly, quietly. Because nothing was going on. She turned to look at the woman who she considered one of her closest friends and Aubrey sat on the edge of the bed, that suspicious look on her face again.

"Oh come _on_ Chloe, I've been watching you two! These past few weeks you've been looking at her the way you used to!" Chloe took hold of another item of clothing from the bed and returned to the wardrobe, her heart racing. She didn't think she'd been that obvious when looking at Beca. She certainly didn't _think_ that she'd been looking at Beca any more than she had been looking at anyone else. But clearly Aubrey had thought otherwise, "and what the _hell_ is with the touching?"

Chloe's stomach lurched as she peered from around the wardrobe with a furrowed brow, "Touching?!"

"You and I both know that even as soon as two years ago Beca Mitchell would barely let anybody brush past her let alone fall asleep on her shoulder!" Chloe's heart was beating fast. How had Aubrey known that she had fallen asleep against Beca on this bed earlier that afternoon?

"When…?"

"The plane." The blonde quickly interjected and Chloe exhaled. Of course Aubrey hadn't known about her nap earlier. Not that it mattered if she had. There was nothing going on. But Aubrey wasn't finished, "Now you touch her arm, or put your arm around her and she doesn't even flinch! She even put her arm around your waist this afternoon! I mean, what _is_ that?"

The room fell silent and Chloe couldn't help but stare at Aubrey as she tried to contemplate what the blonde had just said. She had this sinking feeling as she realised Aubrey must have somehow spotted them in the boutique. Probably as she walked by or went to look for them. She hadn't noticed her if she had. Chloe felt her mouth go dry as she looked at Aubrey's accusing look. She'd never been aware of Beca flinching away from her much, even back in college. But then…the only times Chloe had ever really touched Beca in college had been briefly as part of a dance routine, or when she would pull her into a hug when they were drunk…or that one time when Fat Amy had fixed 'spin the bottle' so that her beloved 'Bhloe' could kiss. Not that they'd got that far of course. There was that time on the acapella bootcamp in their final year, when Chloe had been thrilled to see Beca turn to her in the cramped tent to ask what the hell they were doing there. Chloe could still remember how nervous and excited she'd felt to have her nose mere inches from hers as she revealed to Beca that she'd wished she'd done more experimenting in college. Her hope had been that Beca would ask more about what she meant by 'experimenting', perhaps even picking up the hint that Chloe so desperately wanted to _kiss_ her at least once. But Beca, classic Beca, had simply called her "weird" and all Chloe could respond with at the last moment was a cheery "thanks!" to try to mask her disappointment as Beca turned around to face the other way.

"Listen, Aubrey I know what you're thinking, but it's not like it was in college. I've grown up a lot. I'm okay with just living with her and being around her. I'm no longer desperate for her to love me back."

"So you _do_ still love her!"

Chloe froze again, thinking back on what she'd said. Had she admitted it out loud? For the first time since college when she would so often call Aubrey when she was drunk to tell her how in love she was with Beca? Gosh she _had_ just said about Beca loving her back…

"I know that sounds bad but…yeah, I do…" The redhead screwed her face up as she waited for the inevitable comeback from Aubrey who had never really liked the effect Beca had on her.

"Chloeee," the blonde sighed as she stood up from the bed to walk over to her best friend, "I don't want you to be miserable any more-"

"But I'm not miserable. Far from it! Aubrey, I _love_ what Beca and I have now! I mean…I don't _exactly_ know what it is. It's not romantic, but it's definitely not hostile, and it's making me _really_ happy!"

Chloe felt as though she was almost pleading with her dear friend. She meant it when she said that she didn't exactly know what she and Beca had. During the early months that the two of them had been living in their little Brooklyn apartment they had kept a reasonable distance from each other. Much like it had been when they had been living together with the rest of The Bella's in college. But this time they were living together, just the two of them, and once they had begun to get into a routine with their jobs and days off the two had become more comfortable around each other. To the point where Chloe's own father had once joked that the two best friends acted like an old married couple.

_Chloe trotted into the kitchen of her small Brooklyn apartment, trying to place the other earring in her earlobe as the sound of her heels echoed off the small walls. She succeeded and smoothed down the front of her new blue dress with a nervous sigh. Tonight was the first performance by the kids at the small theatre that she had been volunteering at over the past few months. She had just had enough time after their final rehearsal to dash back to the apartment to get ready. The perks of being a volunteer dance instructor meant that tonight she could sit in the audience and soak up the atmosphere with the rest of the performer's families and local neighbours. And Beca._

_The redhead sighed as she looked up at the kitchen clock that she had been thrilled to find at a downtown flea market when they had first moved to the area a year ago. Her housemate had promised she'd be home by now. In fact it was twenty minutes past that time. Chloe couldn't be late and Beca knew that. She jumped as she heard the familiar FaceTime tune ring from the kitchen work surface and the redhead picked her phone up expecting to read Beca's name on the screen. But to her surprise it read 'Dad'._

_Chloe answered it, holding the device out so her face fitted the FaceTime screen just right. She beamed as she saw the familiar jolly face of her father and soft kind face of her mother smiling at her from their position of their sofa back home. Seeing them made Chloe immediately miss them, having always had the perfect relationship with her parents. Far better than Beca had ever had with hers._

_"Helloooo!" Chloe's mother sang out, while her father greeted her with the nickname he had called her since birth, "Hey Twinkle!"_

_"Hiiiii!" Chloe replied cheerily. She leant her back against the work surface and grinned at her parents. Her mother complimented her with a "my goodness don't you look beautiful sweetheart!" and her father agreed, "Stunning! Someone looks like they've got an opening night to go to!" And Chloe let out a giggle as she thanked them._

_"We just wanted to quickly call you and wish you luck for tonight sweetheart!" Mrs Beale called out to her daughter, "we're so proud of you!"_

_"Yeah way to go kiddo. You're going to knock them dead."_

_Chloe brought a hand to her face in mild embarrassment, "Well it's not me that's actually doing the performing, remember?"_

_"We know, we know. But you taught them the dance moves! Without you there wouldn't be anything for them to perform!" Chloe smiled. Her parents had a point, she had worked really hard with those kids to make sure that they had fun and impressive dance moves to show off to the audience._

_"So what time do you have to be at the theatre twinkle?" Chloe heard her Dad ask and she placed her phone on the kitchen work surface, propping it up against the small Nespresso machine Beca had insisted on buying with some of her bonus pay last month, before reaching out and grabbing a glass of water._

_"Erm…well the performance begins in an hour. The theatre's only down the street but I'm still waiting on Beca to get back from work." Chloe missed the look her parents gave each other as she took a sip of water. Her heart leapt as she heard a key in the front door, "Speak of the devil…" She muttered under her breath as she heard Beca step into their apartment and call out her name. Chloe placed her glass down, completely forgetting that she was FaceTimeing her parents, and she began to make her way towards the door of the kitchen, "Beca where have you_ _been_ _? You should've been back half an ho-" but the redhead froze, mid-sentence, mid-walk. Stood in the doorway of the kitchen with a look of surprise at Chloe's annoyed tone of voice was Beca, fully dressed with flawless hair and makeup, as though ready to go out to the theatre. And in her hand she held a beautiful bouquet of flowers._

_The brunette stepped into the small kitchen awkwardly to stand opposite her housemate, "Sorry I'm on the drag, the subway was heaving. Good job I got ready at work huh?"_

_Chloe's breath caught in her throat, her heart pumping. She was in shock. Shock because Beca was actually ready. Shock because she looked absolutely stunning! Chloe glanced down at the bouquet and Beca followed her gaze. "Oh, yeah…I got these for you…you know, because it's your big night." Chloe took the bouquet as it was handed to her, still lost for words, "It's nothing much, I just…see there's roses and…these white flowers…and gerbera's…it_ _is_ _gerbera's that you like right?" Chloe couldn't help the tears that were beginning to well up in her eyes as she slowly nodded, a smile having grown on her face at how thoughtful her best friend was as she managed to croak out a nervous "uhuh", which made Beca's face relax into a relieved smile._

_There was a short pause and the apartment fell silent except for the banging about of their neighbours in the apartments above and below theirs. "So are you ready to go? You look amazing by the way! That new dress really brings out the colour of your eyes." Chloe continued to remain stood in stunned silence in the middle of their small kitchen though she could feel herself blushing at the compliment. A shy smile grew on her face as she saw Beca grinning at her, the apartment falling silent once again. The two women jumped as they heard someone clear their throat and Beca looked to her right, Chloe to her left, as they both caught sight of Chloe's phone propped up beside them._

_Chloe found herself blushing further as Beca cleared her throat and awkwardly waved at the couple on the small screen, "Oh…hey there Mr and Mrs Beale!"_

_"Beca." the couple said with broad smiles, and Chloe's heart lurched. She could see it on her Dad's face that he was about to tease them, so the redhead quickly turned to her best friend, asking hastily, "would you mind grabbing my jacket from my room while I finish up here?"_

_"Leather or denim?" Chloe cringed internally at the knowledge that Beca had suggested putting a denim jacket with this blue dress she was wearing, but instead of dwelling on it she simply instructed "leather" before watching the brunette walk out of the kitchen and towards the back of the apartment where their bedrooms were._

_"So, Beca's looking well." Chloe's mother said politely as the redhead took hold of her phone and held it out again as she spoke to her parents, "Yeah, well work are finally letting her take proper breaks. Plus I'm forcing her to eat more fruit." Chloe said, though she could sense from her father's expression that something was on the tip of his tongue. The redhead sighed, "Okay, go on Dad...what are you dying to say?" The man's face opened into a broad smile the moment he gained permission to divulge his thoughts,_

_"You two are like an old married couple." He proceeded to laugh out loud, then laugh even louder when his wife gently slapped him on the arm as a telling off, "Jerry!" she hissed at him._

_Chloe's heart was in her mouth as she began to worry a little about how her and Beca's interaction must've seemed to her parents, "Just ignore him sweetheart. Besides, it was very kind of Beca to give you those flowers," Chloe looked over at the bouquet that she'd placed beside the kitchen sink and a smile slowly grew on her face as her mother continued, "and to compliment you on your new outfit." Chloe turned back to the screen as her mother looked at her lovingly, "Your father never compliments me on what I wear."_

_"Oi!" Chloe's father joked as he nudged his wife and the three Beale's chuckled in unison. "But seriously Twinkle we really like Beca and we're pleased you're both happy up in New York together."_

_Chloe paused. Why did it sound like her parents were talking to her as though she and Beca were in a relationship? "Oh…no…Dad, Beca and I…we're not…" Chloe stumbled over her words in embarrassment as her parents grinned at her from the screen and Chloe could feel her cheeks flush. She heard Beca's heels echoing around the main body of their apartment while she returned to the kitchen._

_"This took me far too long to find Chlo. You have_ _way_ _too many clothes." The brunette said as she entered the small kitchen and stood beside Chloe, peering at the screen with a grin as Chloe's parents laughed._

_"You're fighting a losing battle there Beca. This one's always had too many clothes." Chloe's father said mid-chuckle whilst pointing at Chloe, and the redhead rolled her eyes as Beca responded, "I feel like I'm_ _forever_ _fighting a losing battle with your daughter Jerry!"_

_Chloe couldn't get annoyed. She loved it when her parents and her best friend interacted. Even if it did seem to fuel some odd presumptions by her parents. Presumptions that she would love to be true. Maybe one day..._

"I suppose you _do_ appear to be really happy" Aubrey said slowly, having taken the time to think about what Chloe had just said.

"I am. _Really_!" Chloe said with a reassuring smile as she squeezed her friend's hand in thanks. Aubrey took a seat on the edge of the double bed again as Chloe picked up another piece of clothing that she had bought that afternoon, pulling out a hanger from the wardrobe to put it on, "I just wish Amy would stop calling us _Bhloe_. I don't mind it so much, but it drives Beca nuts"

"Believe me, I tried having a word with her about it but you know what Amy's like…" Aubrey said with a sigh as she inspected the manicure she had had done earlier when they had been at Camden Market.

The sun was miraculously shining down on the patio of the London hotel and Beca, Fat Amy, Cynthia-Rose, Flo, Jessica, and Ashley were playing Uno, whilst Lily watched. Beca stared down at her cards. She was useless at Uno and was surprised she hadn't got more cards at this moment in time. Staci was stood slightly away from the group, on the phone to her agent. Over the far end of the patio Beca saw a flash of red hair and looked up to see Chloe walking out of the hotel and over to them, closely followed by Aubrey. Beca had offered to help Chloe take all her shopping bags upstairs to their room but the redhead had insisted she had done enough carrying most of them back to the hotel for her in the first place. So Beca had quietly walked through to the hotel terrace with the rest of The Bella's instead. She saw Chloe give her a grin and a wink, which made Beca blush slightly, and she quickly resumed her focus on the cards she had in her hands as the two women approached the Bella's.

"Oop Beca, calm down…" Fat Amy said in a teasing tone.

"Huh?" Beca looked up from her cards once again, furrowing her brow as she glanced at the Australian.

"Don't get jealous…"

"Seriously, what are you talking about?" She noticed Jessica and Ashley grinning as they looked from her to Chloe and Aubrey as Fat Amy continued, "Chloe's with another girl besides you."

Beca's mouth dropped open in shock at Amy's latest stint of teasing. This was the first time she had specifically spoken about Chloe as though she was _cheating_ on the brunette. She didn't mind if the Australian teased her directly, she was thick skinned, but when she teased Chloe, that was when Beca started to feel her blood begin to boil. She glared at Fat Amy, whose grin immediately faded.

"Okay that…isn't very nice Amy." Aubrey was heard saying nervously, having clearly noticed the immediate tension, but Beca wasn't really listening. Her heart was beginning to race as Fat Amy held her hands up innocently. But the woman was far from innocent when it came to teasing Beca about Chloe and Chloe about Beca.

Cynthia-Rose laid a card, having not noticed the tension, and called out "UNO acca-bitches!" with a victorious laugh. The rest of the Bella's hadn't noticed. Chloe had clearly sensed the awkward atmosphere and started to walk around to Beca just as Fat Amy uttered the fateful words that would send the brunette into a fury, "Aubrey, I'm just a big supporter of _Bhloe_ that's all!"

The sounds of Beca's chair scraping the patio paving echoed around the patio area as the brunette quickly stood up, chucking her cards down in the middle of the table angrily. "Beca…" Chloe quietly said, trying to immediately calm her best friend down, but it wasn't enough. Beca stormed away from the patio area despite the Bella's calling out to her to come back, needing to get up to the hotel room and listen to some music to calm down. Why did that woman insist on using that nickname? It was far from what Chloe deserved.

Beca could feel tears building in her eyes for the first time in a long long time, her anger bubbling over that much. She had no patience to wait for the elevator and instead chose to storm up the stairs. To her dismay she could hear Chloe calling out to her, but Beca couldn't bring herself to stop and let her best friend catch up with her, not until she got to their hotel room.

The brunette hammered into their hotel room, hoping to hear the door slam closed behind her, but it was met by a hand instead, and Beca realised Chloe must have caught up with her. She couldn't bring herself to look at her best friend, so instead made her way over to her suitcase, pulling it onto the double bed that had made her so nervous earlier. She refused to let her tears roll down her cheeks, and so took several deep breaths while Chloe shut the door behind them.

"What the _hell_ is going on with you?!" she heard the redhead ask loudly, clearly out of breath from running up the stairs after her.

"Nothing…I'm fine just…go back downstairs Chloe!" Beca said quietly, desperate for her best friend to listen to her. But she knew it wasn't as simple as that. She didn't want to talk, she just needed to sit with her music for a little while and calm down. If only she could find her headphones...

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what's up." She heard Chloe say stubbornly, her voice cracking slightly which signified the redhead had probably begun crying in frustration.

Beca could feel her cheeks flush red as she continued to scramble the contents of her suitcase around, but she had stopped looking for her headphones and was now just looking for any excuse not to have to look at Chloe. If she did she'd crack. She couldn't be having this conversation, particularly not with the woman who stood before her with her hands on her hips.

"Well you'll be waiting a long time-" the brunette began frostily but Chloe immediately cut her off, her frustration clearly building,

"-Why are you acting so weird? You've been like this for days!

Beca growled quietly to herself getting increasingly more stressed the longer she went without her headphones. She hadn't been any different over the past few days. So what if she found herself immediately going cold on Chloe whenever Fat Amy saw them together? It was for the redhead's own good! She looked up to see Chloe now stood at the foot of their bed, her bright blue eyes gleaning with the remnants of tears that had fallen from them, and Beca sighed, her voice loud and oozing frustration "I'm not acting weird I'm just…it's… I just need some time on my own!"

"You think I don't know you but I do Beca Mitchell, I do know you, and I know that something is bothering you!" Beca had already looked back down at her suitcase but she could sense from Chloe's tone of voice that she'd begun to cry again in frustration, something that broke Beca's heart, knowing that she was the cause of it.

Beca could feel the tension building, as though she were about to snap at any moment. She so desperately didn't want to divulge any more, but Chloe was a pusher, "I've got a lot on my mind-"

"-So tell me! Tell me what's on your mind-"

"-I've got feelings okay?" Beca burst, looking to the redhead as she yelled, her heart stopping as she saw Chloe's tear-stained face open into a look of shock at her revelation. Beca had stunned even herself, and she softened her voice as she revealed the very thing she'd been terrified of revealing to her best friend for a long time now,

"I've got feelings…for you…so… you wanted to know what's been on my mind well..congratulations. Now you know."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh FINALLY!! Amirite?


	7. Feelings

Chloe froze, her breath caught in her throat as she felt her heart racing. Was…was this a _dream_? Because too many times over the past six years had she imagined the moment Beca told her that she had feelings for her. But she had never imagined how she would feel about it. And right now she felt…numb. She watched as the woman she'd loved for so long shrug, as though trying to cover up how big a deal this situation was. She had feelings for her. Beca Mitchell had _feelings_ for _her_!

"I…how long have you...had feelings…for me?" Chloe struggled to get the words out as the room fell silent.

She watched as the petite brunette stood before her shrugging again, shaking her head slightly as she exhaled loudly, her eyes watering as though what she had revealed had been the hugest weight off her shoulders, "I dunno…like…a year?" Beca said nervously.

It took Chloe all of her self control not to cry out in heartache. A _year_? For the past year that Chloe had been so coolly and secretly pining after Beca, the brunette had been feeling the same way too?! Chloe took a couple of deep breaths, "Why didn't you _say_ anything?" She asked quietly. She hadn't meant to sound as hurt as she had, and the woman across from her had clearly noticed it.

" _Because_ …" Beca began, a sad smile growing on her face and Chloe held her breath. What could Beca possibly think had been the reason to keep something so important to her, to _them_ , a secret for so long? "I like the life we have now."

Chloe's heart was still racing. She agreed, she liked the life they had now too. She liked their little apartment that she'd worked so hard to make a home. She liked that Beca visited her work every morning and/or every afternoon to join her on her break. She liked that her parents always asked how Beca was getting on at Residual Heat, and that Beca always asked how her parents were. She liked the texts Beca would send her from work that comprised mostly of gifs of April from 'Parks & Rec'. And she liked to respond with Leslie Knope gifs. She liked their evenings curled up in front of Netflix. And she'd been enjoying this European Tour.

Chloe watched as Beca seemed to get a little stressed the more she continued, "I didn't want to ruin it by telling you how I felt and things getting weird between us. Which, by the way, they now are.." and the brunette swore under her breath as she continued to speak through her thought process out loud, "Let's…let's just…forget I said anything and go back to normal okay?"

Chloe was stunned as she listened to the end of Beca's sentence and watched the brunette begin to walk around the bed in embarrassment and over to the door. Sure, it felt weird, but only because it had come out of the blue. Chloe had had no pre-warning that Beca may have felt the same way as her. And it surprised her that from the sounds of things Beca had no idea that she felt the same way too!

"Beca wait!" She found herself calling after her best friend and she turned to see Beca immediately stop. Chloe's heart was in her mouth, her cheeks aching slightly as the tears that had once been rolling down them had now dried up. She must've looked an absolute state, but she didn't care. She was about to reveal the one thing she had sworn to herself that she would never reveal to the woman stood before her. A promise that she had held captive for six years, whilst yearning for this very moment. Chloe took a deep breath as Beca turned to look at her, and she saw those tears brimming dangerously in the brunette's deep blue eyes. She realised that this was the most vulnerable she'd ever seen Beca look, and it suddenly made Chloe feel very nervous, "I have feelings for you too..." She blurted, as though it would just be easier if she said it in one go, "...and I can't forget what you just said. I don't want to."

She held her breath as she watched in anticipation for the reaction of her best friend. She noticed Beca swallow loudly, as the petite woman appeared to process what they were both saying to each other. "Right" she heard her say quietly under her breath. Chloe's heart began to soar as she noticed a nervous smile gently creep its way into the corners of Beca's mouth and the two held each other's gaze. The silence was deafening as the two women, the two best friends, stood a couple of feet from one another, nervous smiles on their faces.

"So…what do we do now?" Chloe broke the silence, her voice soft and nervous despite her insides screaming out loud in celebration, "I mean…you have feelings for me…I have feelings for you…?" If it were possible she could imagine her twenty one year old self popping up beside her to give her a massive high five. She'd been twenty one when she'd first laid eyes on Beca. Twenty one when she'd first realised that, despite several strings of on-off boyfriends she'd had throughout high school and her first three years of college, she'd never known love at first sight until she'd met Beca. A _girl_. And now, after six _long_ years that girl had finally confessed that she also had feelings for her.

She saw the brunette shrug, her voice sounding as nervous as hers, which was also reflected in her small smile, "I dunno…do we…go on a date, maybe?"

Chloe felt her heart thud in excitement and she tried to remain as composed as possible. But she couldn't help the broad smile that grew on her face as she shrugged, "I dunno, maybe? Why, are you…asking me out on a date?"

Chloe's heart began to race as she held her breath, desperately hoping that she wasn't dreaming, as this situation was better than any she had ever dreamt of. She watched as the smile remained on the brunette's face though Beca appeared to be struggling to find the perfect words, "I guess…sure…yeah…um…do you want to go out on a date with me?"

"Okay," Chloe said quietly, knowing she was grinning ridiculously broadly now, mostly because Beca's nervous smile had also grown, "and if things feel weird then…we can just go back to the way we were." Chloe quickly followed, desperate to reassure Beca that this was worth trying, even if it _was_ just for one date.

This must've been just what Beca had wanted to hear, as the brunette's face completely relaxed, "Sure, the way we were. Just…best friends…housemates…no secret feelings."

"No secret feelings. No pressures just…us." Chloe agreed and the two women paused with a smile, happy that they were both finally on the same page.

"Great. So…erm… _I'll_ _pick_ _you_ _up_ _at 7.30_ " Beca said in a jokey voice, pointing at the redhead with a wink, and Chloe furrowed her brow slightly with a bemused grin.

"We share a room." Chloe said matter of factly. She couldn't work out how Beca could possibly 'pick her up'. And her heart fluttered while she saw Beca's face drop nervously as she shrugged, speaking in an embarrassed quiet tone,

"Yeah, I know I just…it's what they say don't they. Guys. They ask the girl out and tell her what time they're going to pick her up so…I was just…trying to be funny…" if Chloe had had the confidence to squeal then she would've done as Beca's sentence trailed off at the end. The brunette didn't stop though, screwing her face up as she realised she couldn't stop talking "ugh I'm making this weird! I'm sorry-"

"-it's _okay_!" Chloe quickly interjected, stepping forward and grabbing Beca's upper-arms to try to calm her, while the woman opposite her put her hands to her face in embarrassment. Chloe giggled, "Beca you're not making this weird,". She watched her best friend's expression relax as she let out a sigh of relief, the tears no longer residing in either women's eyes. "Let's go back down to the others and…we'll just meet in the foyer at 7.30 to go somewhere for dinner."

The brunette nodded, "Right, yeah…okay, 7.30." The women stepped apart from each other and Chloe felt unusual. Something had definitely changed between them, even in the space of a few minutes, though she couldn't work out what. As she began to walk to the door of their hotel room she heard Beca simply say, "I think I saw a nice bistro down the road?" and Chloe smiled,

"That sounds perfect."


	8. Sneaking Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Beca & Chloe try to leave for their date undetected..]

Beca stood behind a pillar in the lobby of the hotel and casually glanced down at her phone. 7.25. She was early. She was never early. For anything. But she'd had nothing on her mind over the past few hours since she and Chloe had agreed to meet at 7.30 to go on a date together. A date! She never imagined she'd ever end up going on a date with her best friend. A date sounded so formal. They knew each other so well that having a date was almost pointless. They'd had dinner together loads of times before. In fact, Beca's payday was always the evening that they dressed up and went out for dinner. Just the two of them. Once a month. But never did they ever think of it as a date. Then again Beca hadn't realised that Chloe felt the same way she did, so naturally she'd been stunned to hear Chloe utter those words to her.

_"I…how long have you had feelings for me?"_

_Beca felt her breath catch in her throat as her heart raced. That wasn't exactly the response she'd been expecting from her best friend after she revealed her deepest secret. Her best case scenario would have been to have Chloe smile and pull her into a hug telling her she felt the same way. But the redhead hadn't, instead choosing to stare at her in shock. A sudden wave of dread washed over Beca as she shrugged, shaking her head slightly with a loud exhale, "I dunno…like…a year?" She hadn't meant to sound so embarrassed, and to her dismay she could feel tears building up in her eyes. She didn't cry. That wasn't her style. But tears had been rolling down Chloe's cheeks, having been so frustrated with her when she had first followed her into their hotel room. As she saw Chloe's expression drop Beca began to panic. She'd done the very thing she'd so desperately not wanted to do – she'd made things weird._

_Beca saw Chloe's chest rise and fall a couple of times as she took a couple of deep breaths, clearly trying to process what was being said, "Why didn't you say anything?" the redhead answered quietly and the tone of her hurt voice broke Beca's heart. She had never intended on hurting her by keeping her feelings a secret. No, her intention had been to keep their life as normal as possible which is why she hadn't said anything before now. Chloe had to understand that, surely._

_"Because, I like the life we have now…" Beca hadn't meant to reveal a whisper of a smile, but this was the first time she'd revealed to her best friend just how much she valued living with her in New York. "I didn't want to ruin it by telling you how I felt and things getting weird between us. Which, by the way, they now are…" Beca swore under her breath as she began to panic, worried that every word she spoke was just making things worse. She had to make things right. She had to bring things back to the way they were before, "Let's…let's just…forget I said anything and go back to normal okay?" and Beca made her way around the bed over to the hotel door not daring to look at her best friend._

_"Beca wait!" Beca froze as Chloe called out to her. Her heart skipped a beat as she turned to look at the redhead. She held her breath as she saw Chloe's bright blue eyes looking over at her, "I have feelings for you too." Beca couldn't move. Chloe's words rang in her ears as she tried to process what her best friend had just said. She felt the same way? Beca'd had an inkling that during college Chloe may have had some feelings for her, but she presumed it had just been how Chloe was in college. She remembered the odd feeling she'd felt when Chloe had announced to the Bella's that she would have to retake her final year of college, which was the rest of the Bella's sophomore year. She'd felt a sense of relief and joy, having struggled to imagine what life with the Bella's would have been like without the redhead, who had stuck up for her and supported her so much in the first year. Had it really been to stay with The Bella's as she'd later admitted, or had Chloe purposefully failed to stay with her? "and I can't forget what you just said. I don't want to."_

_Beca tried to process what Chloe was saying. What they were both saying. She swallowed loudly, her voice catching in her throat as she mustered a quiet "right" under her breath. So…they both had feelings for each other. They had both admitted it to each other. Neither of them were running from each other. And all of a sudden, as Beca stared into Chloe's bright blue eyes she felt a nervous smile appear on her face. A smile that seemed to give Chloe a breath of life, and the redhead also smiled as the two women held each other's gaze. Beca felt her heart skip a beat as Chloe quietly broke the silence in the room with one simple question, "So what do we do now?"_

Beca looked up from her phone as she noticed a flash of red hair in the periphery of her vision and her heart skipped a beat as she watched Chloe approach her, somewhat nervously. It was as though she was seeing her best friend for the first time, and her stomach twisted as Chloe smiled sweetly at her, exhaling loudly, "Hi!" she aired breathlessly and Beca couldn't help the grin that swept across her face as she inspected the woman's appearance.

"Wow," Beca couldn't help but open with as she checked Chloe out. The redhead had decided on black skinny jeans that emphasised the shape of her ass, a blue top that emphasised her bright blue eyes that sparkled in joy at the attention she was getting, and the look was finished with her favourite black leather jacket and a pair of black heels. Beca was relieved that she had also decided to go with wearing heels, having not wanted her best friend to tower over her whilst they were walking down the street together. She smiled as she noticed that Chloe had opted to have her red hair in loose curls, a style that Beca had once told her was her favourite. Finally her eyes quickly glanced at Chloe's lips, her mouth becoming dry as she approved of the woman's choice in bright red lipstick. "You look… _hot_." The brunette couldn't help blurting out and she saw Chloe's cheeks flush red at the complement.

She watched Chloe look down at her outfit with a shy shrug, before looking Beca up and down with a big grin, "Thanks. You're looking pretty hot yourself." The redhead said with a flirty wink as she and Beca began walking out of the hotel together, nervously. Beca didn't know what to or say. She'd never really been on a first date before, and she certainly had never been out with someone that she knew as well as she knew Chloe. And she definitely hadn't gone out on a date with another woman! She crossed her arms as she walked beside her best friend, the two making their way down the steps of the hotel and to the busy street that ran across the end of it.

"I feel like we're sneaking around." She heard Chloe giggle to her quietly and Beca smiled, looking down at her feet as they walked, ensuring her voice was low, "Well technically we're sneaking out of this hotel hoping not to be noticed so I guess in a way we are sneaking ar-"

Beca froze as she bumped into their Australian friend, who had turned off the street to make her way up the steps to the hotel. Fat Amy looked at the two of them in surprise, "-Hey, where are you two off to?"

"Uhh…" was all Beca could muster as she looked over awkwardly at Chloe, desperately trying to think of something to say.

"We're going to that bistro down the street." The redhead said simply and Beca breathed a sigh of relief. Exactly. That was exactly where they were going. No lies here.

To the women's dismay, the blonde smiled, completely oblivious to what she had just stumbled upon, "Oh cool, wait here I'll just go grab my bag, I'm starving!" and Beca watched as Amy began to make her way up the steps of the hotel.

Beca noticed Chloe's panicked expression and before she knew what she was doing she called out to the Australian, stoping the blonde in her tracks, "Oh…no Amy…we're going..." The blonde looked at them and Beca hated to have to continue, but she did, "Together... Just the two of us..." Still a blank expression remained on Amy's face as she tried to process what Beca was saying, and so the brunette finished her sentence with a simple "Alone."

Fat Amy screwed up her face slightly in confusion, "Oh." but then as she looked from Beca to Chloe and back again, seeing how dressed up they were, and Beca's 'will you just leave us alone' expression, and she finally realised what the brunette meant, " _Oh_! Oh my God seriously?"

Beca scrunched her face up as the Australian's face lit up in excitement, and she prayed that Amy wouldn't use their nickname, "Please don't make this weird…" she begged, but the blonde didn't appear to pick up the signals, dashing down the couple of steps and back to her friend's.

"I _knew_ you guys were doing it! That's why we gave you two the double! We'd all been speculating but I _knew_ something was going on between you two, no matter how many times you've told me it's been nothing, Beca!"

Beca's heart lurched. She knew there had been a greater reason why she and Chloe had ended up with the double room. She was beginning to wonder if Amy had booked the double room on purpose, figuring that an English speaking country would make it easier to organise a change in room. Beca glanced at Chloe who seemed to look rather less anxious now that Amy was likely to leave them to go to dinner alone, and it made the brunette relax, "See that's the thing Amy, up until now it _has_ been nothing. This is actually our...first date."

The broad grin didn't leave the Australian's face once as she nudged Beca, "Oop alright, you two kids go have fun, and I want to hear _all_ the details when you get back!"

Beca's stomach plummeted, "You won't be hearing any details from me." She said seriously, wanting to protect Chloe's feelings above all else. But the Australian instead turned to the redhead, giving her a nudge and a wink instead, "Alright, well, Chloe can tell Aubrey and Aubrey can tell me then."

"I'm not going to say anything to Aubrey. And we'd _really_ appreciate it Amy if you didn't tell any of the Bella's. At least not yet." Beca was relieved that Chloe was still on the same page as her, looking to the redhead beside her and smiling nervously as she met the bright blue eyes with her own.

"Not until we know if this is really what we want." The brunette added before turning back to Amy.

"Oh I hear you. Tell nobody… Except Aubrey?"

" _No_!" Beca and Chloe exclaimed in unison, something that made the Australian smile.

Beca was beginning to get annoyed with the blonde, desperately hoping that tonight wouldn't be the only opportunity she and Chloe were able to go on a date in private because suddenly all The Bella's would know about them, "We mean it Amy. If this date is going to be as weird as it already is then we won't go on another." It pained her to say it, but it was the truth.

Fortunately the Australian held her hands up in surrender, "Alright alright, I won't tell anyone."

"Thank you Amy." Chloe said gratefully, though her smile waivered at the blonde's response,

" _Bhloe_ all the way amirite?" Amy said as she held a hand up to high five one of the women, but instead Beca rolled her eyes in frustration, "Oh my God if you say the word ' _Bhloe_ ' one more time I'm going back into that hotel and Chloe will go to that Bistro alone!" She knew it was threat enough that Amy would never want her precious ' _Bhloe_ ' to miss the opportunity of a first date together, and to her delight their friend backed away holding her hands up in surrender again, "Sorry! Alright, off you go, you love-birds."

Beca shook her head slightly with a sigh and turned on her heels to make her way out onto the street. She knew Chloe was walking alongside her from the sound of the redhead's heels. _Love-birds._ Ugh that was almost as bad as ' _Bhloe_ '. Not as degrading though. It was almost as if Chloe could read her mind, as she nudged the brunette whilst quietly saying, "Better than _Bhloe_ I suppose?"

"Is it?" Beca replied with a smile, looking over at Chloe who threw her head back with a loud laugh, and Beca felt her heart skip a beat. She loved making her laugh.


	9. The Little Bistro

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Beca & Chloe's first date..]

The atmosphere in the small London bistro was buzzing as conversations between couples and friends sounded out while they sat around small tables. Chloe followed Beca through the entrance and stood nervously by her side as they waited to be seated. This was a big deal. Like, a _really_ big deal. She and Beca were actually on a date!

Chloe felt a little knot in her stomach. Beca was everything she had craved for over the past few years that she had known and loved her, but a part of her was still apprehensive. Apprehensive because she had never been on a date with a woman before and she wondered if they would get odd glances from the people sat around them. She looked around the bistro as they waited patiently to be seen by a member of staff. She loved the 'shabby chic' feel of the place, with it's low lighting and wooden panelled walls. All of a sudden Chloe noticed a table with two women sat at it and she began to relax. The two were very clearly on a date, holding each other's hands across the table, and nobody around them seemed to be bothered by it. Perhaps this was the perk of being in London? You could be whoever you wanted to be and with whoever you wanted.

A waiter approached them with a smile, "Hi there, table for two?"

"Um yeah, I booked a table actually?" Beca began, and Chloe glanced at her best friend in surprise, "For 7.45. It should be under 'Mitchell'?" Chloe looked back at the waiter as he looked at the booking list and identified the name while Beca muttered an apology for being a bit early. Chloe still couldn't believe Beca had had the initiative to book at table. She noticed Beca glance at her with a small smile before the two followed the waiter over to the only seemingly free table, beside the front window.

The two women sat down gently, both seeming to want to make a good impression to the other despite having known each other for six years. The waiter handed them both menus, and asked for their drink order. Chloe stared down at the menu nervously. She felt her blood go a little cold as she saw the price of wine by the glass. She needed to have a drink tonight, no question. But from the looks of the expensive drinks menu, she'd be having no more than a bowl of olives for dinner.

"A bottle of rosé please. Two glasses." Chloe looked up from the menu to look at her best friend, surprised by her order, but Beca held a hand up to stop her from protesting, "And two shots of sambucca."

As the waiter walked off Chloe put her menu down with a slightly furrowed brow, "You don't like rosé."

She saw Beca shrug slightly and give her a small smile, "No, but you do." Chloe couldn't help the smile that slowly grew on her face as the reality of how generous the brunette was hit her, "I mean, I don't hate rosé. Besides, I'm buying so it's only fair that you get your favourite drink. And don't you _dare_ try to pay Miss Beale! I'm the higher earner of the two of us."

For a moment Chloe was speechless as she looked over at her best friend. Her heart was racing. Beca looked stunning. She had opted to pull the left side of her hair back with hair grips, allowing her long dark hair to fall over her right shoulder. She counted the three piercings along the woman's left ear. Beca had her signature eyeliner around her eyes, and smoky eyeshadow which Chloe always felt made her seem dark and mysterious. The redhead found herself looking down at Beca's lips, loving the way they appeared to part slightly with the small nervous smile that her best friend was giving her.

"So…here we are." Chloe found herself airing nervously and Beca seemed to nod in agreement, "Yep, here we are."

The two fell silent again as they held each other's gaze. Chloe noticed that Beca's smile had dropped slightly and she began to panic. What if this wasn't such a good idea? It was everything she thought she'd ever wanted, but if Beca didn't feel comfortable being with her in this capacity then perhaps it was best that they just remained best friends?

"I'm sorry…" Beca began, which didn't help Chloe's panic, and her heart rate increased as Beca looked down at the little candle that flickered between them, "…I don't know how to do…this. Like, go on a first date-"

"-with a girl?" Chloe found herself interrupting and Beca looked back up at her nervously.

"I was going to say at a restaurant but yeah also with a girl. I've never been on a date with…a girl."

"Me either." Chloe confessed quietly. She'd been on several first dates before though. In high school it had been trips to the shopping mall and a couple to the cinema. In college it had been more like meeting guys at parties and one thing leading to another instead of her being asked out on a date. Since graduating she'd gone on a pity-date with a guy back in her hometown, who had so desperately wanted to take her to dinner, and she'd made him settle for lunch. She had even had a date with a guy once in New York. That had been a mistake.

_Chloe unlocked the front door to her apartment and stepped inside, closing the door behind her and leaning her back on it with a huge sigh of relief. She had just spent the past two hours on an excruciatingly painful date with some guy that had given her his number after she had served him coffee yesterday. It wasn't unusual for her to get given numbers. But it was unusual for her to ever call them. The only reason she'd called this guy was because unfortunately Beca had been sat at the tiny table beside the coffee counter when he had given her his number, and her best friend had insisted she call him to arrange a date._

_"How was it?" Chloe heard Beca call out to her from the lounge and the redhead slid her heels off her feet before walking through to find her. She slumped into the space on the sofa beside the brunette and brought her feet up onto Beca's lap, groaning slightly at how awful her date was. "That bad huh?"_

_"He spent the first hour and a half talking about himself, his wife turned up and started an argument with him, AND when my meal arrived my fish was cold!" Chloe groaned again "Worst date ever! How was your evening?"_

_"Woah, hold on, can we go back to the part where his wife turned up?" Chloe couldn't help the smile that poked from her mouth as her best friend suddenly turned to her eagerly awaiting details._

_"Yep, turns out he's married. His wife happened to be in the same restaurant as us for her sisters bachelorette party when she'd spotted him."_

_"Nooooo!" Beca said, her eyes opening wide at the revelation, a big grin on her face, "What did you do?"_

_"Well I left!" Chloe couldn't help but smile, playfully slapping her best friend on the arm, "That's the last time I let you talk me into going on a date with a random guy!"_

_"You're your own woman Chlo, you could've just said no!" Beca said with a chuckle, "Plus you haven't been on a date since we moved here, I figured tonight would've been a great opportunity. You're too beautiful to not have a chance at finding love." Chloe suddenly felt embarrassed as her best friend complimented her, so glanced over at their small coffee table that sat between the small sofa and their TV. She noticed two empty bottles of beer. Not normally enough to make the brunette start rambling about 'love' but Chloe wondered if perhaps Beca had forgotten to have any dinner tonight as she'd been out. Beca had a habit of losing track of time when she was on her laptop. She heard her continue, "But, I promise, next date I'll make sure I'm eating at the same place so I can rescue you if needed."_

_The redhead looked back over at her best friend who had just begun scrolling through Instagram while stroking Chloe's feet absent minded. Chloe couldn't help but smile. If only Beca knew just how much she wanted the next time to actually be with her._

Chloe held her breath. There was something that had struck her with what Beca had just said, and she plucked up the courage to ask, "So you and Jesse never had a first date?"

She saw Beca waiver and suddenly her stomach knotted. Had that been a terrible question? She had to admit they'd not really mentioned Jesse since Chloe had called Beca after finding out that they'd broken up. That was almost two years ago now. Almost two years since her life had changed dramatically, leading to this very moment.

Chloe watched Beca shrug before looking up at her and speaking slowly, "Not really. I mean, we would just sit in one of our dorms and watch movies. The closest thing we got to eating food together was popcorn." She saw Beca screw her face up in slight embarrassment, "So I have no idea how to behave on a first date at a restaurant." The brunette started to talk at a faster rate as she began to panic and Chloe couldn't help but feel a warm glow as Beca revealed things that she had always wanted to hear her say, "And it's you…I'm here with you…I mean, _God_ , I never imagined we would _ever_ be doing something like this, and now we are, we're here at this swanky bistro, in _England_ , on a _date_ …and I'm rambling because I'm an idiot, and I can't stop, and it's making things weird, I'm being so weird. God! _Can we get our drinks please?_ " Chloe let out a soft smile as Beca yelled the final words out towards the bistro's bar, not to anyone in particular, then put her head in her hands. The brunette said quietly, "ugh, I'm sorry. I just…I really don't want to mess this up...because I _really_ like you."

Chloe felt her heart skip a beat as her best friend looked up at her with a sheepish grin. "I really like you too" Chloe said quietly, her smile still whispered across her face.

"A bottle of rosé…" the waiter announced as he appeared beside the two women and Chloe exhaled a breath that she hadn't realised she'd been holding. Two glasses were placed between herself and Beca, rosé poured out by the waiter, "and two sambucca's", two shots of sambucca were placed in front of the best friend's. Chloe stared down at the shot glass of clear liquid. This was her and Beca's liqueur of choice when doing shots. Any time they went out and shots were involved it was only ever sambucca.

They ordered their food, the waiter left, and Chloe saw Beca lift her shot glass, holding it out to her. Chloe held her own shot glass up and the two 'clinked' the glasses, both with nervous smiles on their faces, "Here's to us I guess?" Beca said.

"To us."

The women downed their sambucca's in one, both scrunching their noses up as the alcohol burnt the back of their throats. Chloe let out a small giggle as she felt a slight buzz of confidence from the Dutch Courage that Beca and herself had just quickly consumed.

"Did you ever like me back in college?" She found herself suddenly asking, "Like… _like_ -like?"

Chloe saw Beca swallow nervously as she shrugged, "Erm…I dunno, maybe?" Chloe's heard dropped a little. She'd been expecting her to say no. 'Maybe' implied that there had been moments when Beca may have liked Chloe more than just a friend during college. If she had, and Chloe had known, maybe she'd have had more confidence in telling Beca how she felt back then.

"Oh…right…" Chloe found herself responding.

"It _was_ a couple of years ago Chlo, a lot's happened since then. My memory is rubbish enough as it is, you know that."

Chloe looked down at the table they were sat at. At the small vase that held a single yellow gerbera. At the tea light that flickered between them. "No I know…" Chloe began quietly, "I just…back in final year when we went to Aubrey's boot camp…"

"I was very stressed during that trip. Me getting annoyed with you was me getting annoyed with us all having to be there, not because I _liked_ you…"

Chloe's heart skipped a beat as she realised that Beca had no idea what she was talking about, "That's not what I meant." She said, and looked up at her best friend who had appeared to stare at her as though trying to read the redhead's mind, "When we were all sat around that campfire on the final night. You looked at me in a way I'd never seen you look at me before so…I just wondered if you'd liked me then."

She held her breath. Beca swallowed loudly, looked down at her hands as she fiddled with her thumb ring, and scrunched up her face as though struggling to get the next few words out, "Ah…yeah…that was kinda the moment…you know…I may have thought I liked you. Like, _like_ -liked you." Chloe's face opened in shock but Beca noticed and continued quickly before the redhead could say anything, "And I _know_ , I know, I should've told you…maybe…and I nearly did. That next morning. By the lake? I nearly told you that I liked you but then we started talking about Jesse and you told me to stick with him and…yeah…" Chloe was speechless as Beca looked up at her with a slight smile, "Still, we're here now?" And Chloe found herself furrowing her brow in curiosity as a big grin grew on her best friend's face, " _You_ liked me a lot back in college though didn't you…"

Chloe felt the heat rise in her cheeks as Beca called her out on her feelings, and a small smile grew on her face, "Maybe…?" She took a gulp of her wine as she heard Beca let out a chuckle,

"Oh come _on_ dude, never mind how I'd looked at you by that campfire, you used to give me 'a look' all the time!"

Chloe rolled her eyes with an embarrassed grin while Beca took a gulp of her own wine, "It wasn't _all_ the time!"

"It was most of the time!"

"Alright _fine_." Chloe conceded, taking another gulp of wine before letting out a small sigh, raising her eyebrows slightly as she confessed, "I was…just…trying to see if you would ever look at me the way…I looked at you. Three and a half years of looking and finally, by that campfire, you did."

She noticed Beca take a deep breath. If they weren't on a date already she had a feeling the two of them would be absolutely distraught that they had missed each other's cues over the years. But Beca was right, they were now here, together, on a date with each other.

"Looks like you'd noticed how I felt before even I did."

Chloe almost spat her wine out as Beca bit her bottom lip, and the redhead leant back in her chair, "Are you _kidding_? Beca, I've never known anyone to be as hard to read as you. There was no way I could've _ever_ worked out what was going on in that head of yours, especially back then! Why do you think I was so surprised when you told me this afternoon…?"

"Well I'm really pleased I finally did." Beca said with a smile.

"I'm pleased you did too."

Not for the first time that evening the two women fell silent again. Chloe looked back down at the small vase on their table, a soft smile on her face as she thought about how odd it felt that they were now finally revealing to each other not only how they felt at that moment but how they had felt years ago.

"Do you like the flower?" Chloe heard Beca ask and the redhead's smile broadened as she reached out to glaze her fingertips over the petals of the yellow flower. Her absolute favourite colour!

"My favourite kind." She said quietly.

"I know, that's why I got it."

Chloe's heart skipped a beat at Beca's words and she quickly looked up at her best friend who was smiling at her. The redhead immediately looked around the bistro and noticed that of the tables she could see, none had gerberas in their small vases, but what looked like pink orchids instead. "How did you…"

"There's a florist on the corner. I ran there then ran here earlier so I could book a table and make sure we had a good table with a good flower. Your favourite flower."

Chloe literally couldn't contain how overwhelmed she felt right now and tears began to well up in her eyes. No person she had ever gone on a date with had been this thoughtful. Or… _romantic_. And if there was one thing she could have never imagined Beca Mitchell to be it was romantic. Oh how the brunette was proving her wrong.


	10. Fingers Entwined

There was a slight chill in the English air as the two Barden University alumni stepped out of the little bistro that they had been eating at. Beca was surprised at how many people were still milling the streets past eleven PM on a Tuesday night, but then she remembered that most of the cities she'd been to had been a hive of activity at all hours of the day, particularly New York, where she and Chloe lived.

Ahh Chloe. "Oh come _on_ " the redhead said with a giggle, "are you telling me you're _sorry_ I walked in on you in the shower to force you to audition for the Bella's?"

Beca grinned as she slowly began walking up the street towards their hotel, a couple of paces behind Chloe, reluctant to return to reality after what had been the perfect date, "That's not what I said! I just meant it was a surprise. As any self-respecting freshman _would_ think!"

"Oh _relax_ , you loved it!" Beca's heart skipped a beat as Chloe looked over her right shoulder at her and gave her a flirty wink and a dazzling smile. She was twirling the yellow gerbera between the fingers and thumb of her left hand and Beca was relieved that the flower had gone down well. It was Chloe. Of course it would. Beca couldn't help the smile that had grown on her face. How the hell had she got this lucky?

"You're so weird." Beca chuckled as she caught up to walk alongside her best friend and her heart leapt as the redhead nudged her left arm with a cheery "Thanks!"

The two fell quiet as they slowly made their way up the street. A small group of lads passed them on the opposite side of the street, clearly on some sort of pub crawl, and uttered wolf whistles at the two women. But neither of them seemed to notice, both walking in an almost trance as their minds thought about how wonderful it was to finally have had the chance to reveal their feelings to one another.

Beca could feel Chloe's right arm occasionally brush against her left. As the effects of the wine and the three shots she'd consumed over dinner took effect of her actions, Beca's heart rate began to increase while she remained her attention on the street life ahead of her. Slowly she reached her left hand out and gently took Chloe's hand. She knew the woman well enough to know she wouldn't object, after all Chloe was the more physically affectionate of the two of them, and she heard the redhead take a deep breath as they entwined their fingers. Neither of them looked at each other as they continued to slowly walk back to the hotel that could now be seen at the end of the street. They just walked slowly, hand in hand, with broad smiles on their faces. Beca's heart was ramming against her chest. This felt… _right_.

"You know what?" She heard Chloe say softly, "This doesn't feel so weird…"

"I was just thinking the same thing." Beca said, turning to look at Chloe. She could see the beautiful woman beaming at her, obvious excitement apparent, and Beca couldn't help the broad grin plastered over her face. They both looked ahead again, still walking slowly, still hand in hand, their fingers entwined. Beca noticed the hotel fast approaching and her smile dropped slightly as she began to feel a bit sad that this would soon have to end. That she would have to let go of Chloe's hand and act as though she didn't care much about her when in reality she really did.

"And for what it's worth, this has been the best first date I've ever had." The redhead said.

Beca grinned, turning to give Chloe a suspicious look whilst giving her a wink, "Ahh I'm sure you say that to every person you go on a first date with." Her heart soared again as she heard Chloe let out a loud giggle, gasping at the audacity of Beca's comment,

"I'm serious!" The redhead cried with another giggle and Beca felt her hand squeeze in hers to emphasise how much it had meant. This form of personal affection wasn't feeling uncomfortable at all and the brunette couldn't help the smile that grew on her face again as she and Chloe each stole glances of each other while they approached their hotel. Reluctantly Beca let go of Chloe's hand and they stood, face to face, at the foot of the steps that led to their hotel. Beca looked into Chloe's eyes with a nervous grin as the redhead beamed at her, "Well I guess this is it." She found herself saying quietly.

"I guess so." Chloe replied with an equally quiet tone. There was a brief pause as the two stared at each other, still in disbelief that they had just been to dinner together as more than friends. "Thank you for a nice date."

"Thank _you_."

Beca saw Chloe swallow loudly, looking down at the yellow gerbera she rolled about between her fingers and thumbs, clearly plucking up the courage to say something more, "Maybe…we could go on another date some time?"

Beca grinned as she saw the redhead look up at her, remembering Chloe's response when she had first asked her out earlier that day, "Are you asking me out on a date?"

"Yeah?" She saw Chloe smiling at her somewhat nervously, as though terrified Beca may say no, and Beca couldn't understand _how_ she could possibly think that.

"Alright. Second date it is."

Beca's heart soared again as she saw that broad dazzling smile stretch across Chloe's face and felt thrilled that, not for the first time that night, she had been the reason to put it there. The brunette looked at Chloe's lips. The bright red lipstick that hadn't faded. And she took a deep breath, toying with the idea of kissing her. But just as she looked up to gauge what Chloe may be thinking, and whether kissing her full stop was a good idea, they heard the doors to the hotel open with a squeak, making them jump apart.

The two women began hastily walking up the hotel steps only to realise that the person who had opened the hotel door was Aubrey. "There you are! I've been looking _everywhere_ for you two!" Beca noticed Aubrey's expression change as she looked from the brunette to Chloe and back again, clearly surprised by how well they were dressed. Her stomach knotted and she wondered if Aubrey twigged that they had just been on a date.

She could sense that Chloe was wondering the same thing, as the redhead sounded nervous, "What's up Aubrey?"

The three women began walking into the lobby of the hotel, "We need to talk through our set-list for tomorrow's performance." Aubrey said in an authoritative tone, "There's always ways in which we can improve on the last performance."

Beca let out an inaudible groan. Aubrey had always been like this. Always insisting that the Bella's be the very best they possibly could be. Beca had always had a 'what will be will be' kind of attitude about the Bella's performances, something that Chloe had always supported her with as her co-captain. "I guess I'll go and get my laptop then?" The brunette said with another sigh and Aubrey appeared to nod her approval at the suggestion.

Beca reached to her left, placed her hand into the back-right pocket of Chloe's jeans pocket, and pulled out their hotel key that was attached to the red keyring. Whilst walking out of the lobby the brunette took the chance and glanced over her shoulder at Chloe who was watching her leave with an expression of one who still couldn't believe what was happening between the two of them. Beca grinned, choosing to ignore the suspicious look on Aubrey's face, as she headed up to the hotel room alone.

...

So between the time that Beca had gone up to the hotel room to grab her laptop, returned to Chloe and Aubrey in the lobby, and sat for over an _hour_ while Aubrey discussed with (told) them everything that could be done to 'improve' the Bella's next performance, something had changed. Beca stepped into the elevator in silence, knowing better than to be bothered to have any say when Aubrey was involved. Her changes weren't so drastic that they warranted Beca to get stubborn about them. The alcohol that she and Chloe had consumed earlier that evening had worn off over the past hour and the two stood side-by-side as Aubrey joined them in the elevator, turning her back on them, choosing to face the closing doors instead. Beca used this moment to glance at Chloe who returned the glance and gave her a small shrug. Aubrey had given no indication that she was angry with them about anything, so her behaviour seemed all the more unusual.

The elevator 'pinged' as they reached their floor and the three women filed out one by one. Beca pulled the red keyring out of her pocket as Chloe walked alongside her and to her surprise she saw Aubrey look over her shoulder at them with a knowing grin. The brunette swallowed loudly, forcing a closed grin as the blonde stopped outside her hotel room. The two women continued walking up the corridor as Aubrey said in a calm voice, "Goodnight you two."

They reached their room two doors down as they called out "Goodnight" to their friend, who stepped into her hotel room and closed her door behind her. Beca could feel Chloe looking at her as she unlocked the door to their own hotel room and they both walked inside, "I still don't know why she insists on changing our set-list at every new location we go to." Beca said with a sigh as she shut the hotel room behind them.

"You know Aubrey," Chloe said as she shrugged off her jacket and heels, delicately placing the yellow gerbera on the bedside table on her side of the bed, before walking through to the ensuite to take her makeup off, "she wants everything to be perfect."

"You always want everything to be perfect too, the difference is you go the right way about it." Beca said as she wandered over to her side of the double bed, plugging her laptop in to charge. She really hadn't needed to get it earlier. Aubrey had already made the decisions before they'd bumped into her. Beca paused, glancing around at the state of their hotel room as she slid her heels off. There were clothes littered everywhere and it occurred to her that Chloe had had to get ready alone this evening, without asking Beca's opinion on her outfit choices.

"Hey how's your Dad doing?" Chloe asked from the ensuite and Beca reached into her suitcase to pull out her pyjamas.

"I dunno, I guess he's alright?" She said nonchalantly as she perched on the edge of her side of the bed, taking her earrings out.

"You should really call him. He'd like that."

Beca rolled her eyes with a small smile at her best friend's suggestion. Of course she'd say that. Chloe really struggled to understand why Beca didn't get on so well with her father. Her mother she got, the woman having walked out on her and her Dad when she had been an early teen. But as far as Chloe was concerned Beca's father could do no wrong. And she would never admit it, but that was one of the things Beca loved about her. Her ability to always see the good in people. "I know, but…he's busy, I'm busy…"

"My Mom and Dad are always busy and I still find time to call them." The redhead said before beginning to clean her teeth.

Beca knew only too well how often Chloe called her parents, the redhead speaking to them over FaceTime at least twice a week. Usually in the evenings. Usually around 8pm. Usually just after Beca had got in from work and she and Chloe were lounging on the sofa after dinner. Beca was usually scrolling through Instagram with a beer in hand. Chloe would usually turn the phone towards her so she could wave an awkward "hello" to Mr and Mrs Beale. She owed the couple a lot. They had provided Chloe with the financial backing to move with her to New York. To help Beca make a go of her career in the music industry. They paid a third of their rent for them. And they often sent the two of them a food hamper as Sue Beale feared that Chloe and Beca didn't feed themselves properly. The Beale's were better parents to Beca than Beca's own parents.

"Hey by the way, did you ever thank them for me? For my awesome headphones?" Beca called out to her best friend who remained in the ensuite. She heard Chloe spit toothpaste out into the sink,

"The ones they got you for your birthday?"

"Uh-huh." Beca responded as she heard Chloe rinse her mouth out with water before spitting again,

"Yep."

Beca watched the redhead walk out of the ensuite and towards the large wardrobe, now makeup-less, avoiding the inevitable look from the woman sat on the double bed. Beca had to walk into the ensuite to stop herself from staring at her best friend's beauty, and so made her way from the bed to the bathroom with her pyjamas in hand, closing the door behind her to give Chloe the privacy to change into her own pyjamas. She reached out for the makeup removal wipes that sat beside the sink and stared at her reflection as she began wiping off her makeup that she had spent a long time trying to perfect earlier that day, wanting to look as good for their date as possible.

"Oh, Mom and Dad invited us to the lake house next month when we get back from the tour." Chloe said from the bedroom. Beca furrowed her brow slightly, pausing her makeup removal as she processed what her best friend had just said.

"They invited both of us?"

"Yeah, why?"

Beca took one last wipe to finish removing the remnants of her makeup, "Just…with things going the way they are between us at the moment will it not be weird us _both_ going to your parent's lake house?

"It'd be weirder if it was just you."

Beca heard the smile in Chloe's voice as she joked and the brunette let out a small chuckle as she placed the used wipes in the bin provided, "I dunno, Jerry and Sue _love_ me!" It was true. Chloe's parents did love Beca. She'd overheard them say so on a number of occasions.

"So did you want to go?" Chloe asked hopefully as Beca began cleaning her teeth.

Beca straightened out her folded pyjamas, draping them over the door of the ensuite shower, her toothbrush hanging out of her mouth. She held the toothbrush out, "I can't imagine work letting me have any more time off Chlo…" Beca said before resuming her teeth cleaning.

"Are you sure? It's not really like this has been a holiday." She heard the redhead call out to her from the bedroom while Beca rinsed her mouth with water.

"Try telling my boss that." Beca said sarcastically, finishing her teeth and she took her clothes off then pulled her pyjamas on. It had taken her a lot of effort to get the time off to go on this tour. She had assured her boss it would be great promotion for Residual Heat, which had been enough for him to give her the go ahead to go on the tour, and so Beca had tried her hardest to mention the company in every interview that she and The Bella's had to do during their European Tour.

With one final look at her reflection, in which she grimaced at how drained she looked without makeup on, Beca made her way out of the ensuite, chucking her used clothes in a pile on top of her suitcase. She noticed that in the time she had been out of the bedroom Chloe had tidied up, got into her own pyjamas, and was now laying in the double bed that Beca had been so nervous about when they had first arrived at the hotel earlier that day. Now the brunette paused briefly at the foot of the bed, a small smile on her face, her heart racing. Chloe lay on her back under the bedsheets, her arms over the top as her hands lay on her stomach, and her eyes closed. Beca couldn't believe how beautiful she looked.

The brunette made her way round to her side of the bed, the motion of her peeling back the bedsheets being enough for Chloe to open her eyes and turn on her right-side to face her. Beca clambered into the bed, meeting Chloe in the middle, and the two best friends faced each other, Beca propping her head up on her hand as she looked down at Chloe. The room was silent, though Beca felt sure that the woman beside her would surely be able to hear the sound of her heart ramming against her chest. She felt as though she was getting lost in the bright blue eyes that looked up at her, and she could smell the distinct smell of Chloe's sweet perfume that suited her so much. A smell that made Beca feel warm all over. With a deep breath Beca reached out and gently took Chloe's left hand, stroking her thumb across the soft skin, and she saw a soft smile grow on the woman's face.

"What do you think your parents would say if you told them we were dating?" Beca asked quietly, a slight smile on her face.

"You mean what will they say _when_ I tell them?"

"We've only been on one date…"

"Yeah and we're going on a second soon…"

Beca felt her stomach flip as she looked into Chloe's eyes and considered what the redhead was saying. The word _dating_ sounded so serious. But then, she had been in a relationship with Jesse for three and a half years and at no point had it ever felt like this. Never had she felt this right being in Jesse's company. As though this was how it was meant to be. Life. Just laying here with someone she felt so comfortable being around. Her heart had never felt like this. Her body had never felt like this. And over the past twenty or so months Chloe had been _everything_ she needed. They had celebrated each other's successes and commiserated each other's losses. Chloe had provided that safety net she had needed whenever she came home after a particularly long day and she hoped she'd done the same for her. And suddenly the word ' _dating'_ didn't seem so daunting anymore.

"I don't know what they'd say. They'd probably be surprised." Beca smiled slightly as Chloe continued talking, giving her hand a little squeeze as she did so, "But they know you and like you, they wouldn't send you birthday presents or cards if they didn't. And they wouldn't ask me how you were all the time. Or invite you to the lake house either!"

"Yeah but they like me as your housemate, not as your gir-" Beca froze, catching herself before she finished her sentence. She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks as she watched Chloe's eyes open wide, "Don't!" She said quickly as a massive smile swept across her best friend's face.

"Were you about to say girlfriend?!"

Beca immediately let go of Chloe's hand and brought her own hand to her face in embarrassment, "Dude, don't make this weird!" She mumbled into her palm but she felt Chloe affectionately poke her stomach, the tone of her voice reflecting how elated the redhead clearly was,

"You were! You want to be my _girlfriend_!"

"Right I'm leaving…" Beca said as she brought her hand down and made to get out of bed. She had to get out of here. She was mortified at the Freudian Slip.

But she felt Chloe grab her hand to stop her from leaving whilst the redhead giggled at Beca's reaction, "Beca wait! Come back! Come back." And Beca reluctantly resumed her position, holding her head up with her left hand, letting out a heavy sigh, the heat in her cheeks still apparent as Chloe held her right hand, "It's _okay_. You're not freaking me out."

"Really?" Beca said, raising her eyebrows to emphasise just how uncomfortable she felt, "Because _I'm_ freaking _me_ out!"

" _Why_?" Chloe asked happily, a smile still on her face as the two laid opposite each other.

" _Because_! I don't _do_ feelings." It was one thing she was renowned for. Jesse had even said it himself one time. He had pretty much spent their entire relationship wondering how she was feeling about him. She just always struggled to put it into words because she'd never got around to finding out what she felt for the guy. "There's so much of me that's changed over the years that I've known you and…it freaks me out sometimes."

"Liiike?" The redhead asked. Beca was aware that there was only one person on the planet who was able to keep probing like this and it was the woman before her.

"I don't know…" Beca said quietly with a shrug, "like…I like marmite? Used to hate marmite but love it now…"

"What's not to love?"

"Exactly! And…erm… _this_ " Beca held her hand up that was currently entwined in Chloe's, "you've worn me down with all your affection over the years. I even congratulated Fat Amy with a _hug_ last week!"

"Oh you love it!" Chloe said with a giggle as she squeezed Beca's hand and the brunette smiled,

"Yeah that's just it, I don't _hate_ it anymore! And that freaks me out sometimes…just like the idea of calling you my girlfriend does…"

Beca noticed Chloe swallow loudly and their eyes remained locked as the redhead said quietly, "I'm not freaked out…about that…"

"Right…" Beca found herself whispering. The two women stared at each other with soft smiles on their faces. Beca glanced from Chloe's eyes down to the bridge of her nose, loving the collection of ginger freckles that collected across the bridge and splayed out over the tops of each cheek. She couldn't understand why Chloe insisted on covering them up with makeup when she looked just as beautiful without. The brunette's heart began to race again as she noticed Chloe's chest rising and falling nervously. What was crazy was that they were essentially having a conversation about whether to label themselves as each other's girlfriend's when they hadn't even kissed yet. Beca found herself glancing at Chloe's lips. They were no longer bright red, the lipstick having now been removed. But they still looked as tempting to kiss as ever.

Beca looked into Chloe's eyes, "There's something I forgot earlier." She said quietly, and she noticed Chloe freeze, though her chest began rising and falling faster. Beca let go of Chloe's hand and reached out to push back some of her red hair behind her ear. Then ever so slowly, Beca brought her face to Chloe's, feeling her minty breath the closer she got. She delicately glossed the tip of her nose with the tip of her best friend's nose, and she felt certain she could feel the redhead's heartbeat as she took a sharp intake of breath and gently lowered her lips onto Chloe's.

The kiss was tender as years of tension was slowly and finally released. Beca's mind went blank, the feel of Chloe's soft lips on hers far softer than any kiss she had ever had before, yet she couldn't help but notice that the redhead didn't seem to be kissing her back. So, reluctantly, Beca pulled away with a grin as she noticed Chloe had her eyes closed and lips opened slightly, seemingly frozen in shock.

"That bad?" Beca found herself asking quietly, though she hoped it wouldn't have been. Chloe's eyes fluttered open and the redhead cleared her throat with a small smile, as though unable to believe what had just happened, "Definitely not"

Beca laid her head down on the pillow so that her face was a mere inch from Chloe's and the two women looked into each other's eyes in disbelief at their greatest wishes finally coming true. This time Chloe brought her hand up to Beca's face, stroking her cheek gently, and the brunette almost wanted to melt, closing her eyes with a deep breath at her soft touch. Beca could feel Chloe adjust her body and suddenly she felt the woman return the kiss, gently, as though not wanting to rush the moment.

Beca brought her right hand out and began slowly swirling her fingertips across Chloe's back while Chloe delicately tangled her fingers in Beca's brown hair. As their lips parted again Chloe didn't back away and the two remained in their embrace, their foreheads touching as they both grinned. Beca could feel her heart racing and she returned her lips to Chloe's, slightly firmer than either of them had done before, and she could feel Chloe's hand lace itself around the back of her head, pulling her closer as the two women both took deep intakes of breath while their kiss intensified.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For what it's worth, I was listening to 'Carry You' by 'Novo Amor' whilst writing this Chapter which is a gorgeously chilled and romantic song which is well worth a listen to if you get the chance! Especially if you can imagine BeChloe finally having their first kiss at the 3min mark of the song...)


	11. The Shower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Beca gets a surprise..]

The sunshine drifted gently through the small gaps between and either side of the London hotel suite curtains as the low hum of rush hour traffic sounded from beyond the double glazed windows. Within the hotel suite however, it was silent save for the sound of heavy breathing from its inhabitants. Beca stirred slightly, furrowing her brow as her eyes remained closed, trying to work out for a moment why her left arm felt so heavy. She brought her right hand up to her face, inhaling deeply as she rubbed her eyes and she froze, smelling the sweet aroma of Chloe's perfume. Suddenly the memories of last night came back to her, and Beca pulled her hand away from her face, opening her eyes.

Her heart skipped a beat as she looked down slightly and saw the figure of her best friend, her…girlfriend?, curled up against her. Her beautiful slender hands laced together and tucked up under her chin, and Beca smiled as she could feel Chloe's heavy breathing whisping against her skin, just below her neck and above her pyjama top, as she remained asleep. Beca let her right hand gently resume its position on Chloe's upper left arm, and she lay there watching her, her deep blue eyes happily following the waves of red hair that splayed out from the woman's head and onto the pillows of their bed. The perfection of the situation wasn't enough to ease Beca's dead arm however, and the gathering of fabric from the long-sleeve top she wore was a large reason why she felt so uncomfortable. So the brunette swallowed loudly as she tried to plan how she would pull her arm out from beneath Chloe's head without waking the woman up.

With a deep breath Beca reluctantly scooched as much of her body away from the sleeping redhead, before gently easing her arm out from underneath Chloe's head. No sooner had she done that she froze as the woman beside her stirred, inhaling deeply before letting out a tiny groan, and turning around to lay the other way, seemingly falling back to sleep. Beca couldn't help but smile softly as she pulled down her ruffled up sleeve. Chloe loved her sleep.

Beca pulled her side of the bedsheets towards Chloe, tucking them gently into her back to keep her cosy. She saw the freckles that laced across the woman's back, peeping out over her pyjama top, and Beca couldn't help her heart from skipping a beat slightly. She loved Chloe's freckles. Every single one of them. The brunette reluctantly turned away and slid out of the double bed, reaching out for her phone and checking the time. 7.45. Not nearly as bad as she thought it would be. She was a terror for sleeping until late if she didn't set an alarm or Chloe didn't wake her up. Beca looked over her shoulder with a grin as she saw Chloe laid in bed asleep. There was no way she was waking her.

With a small content smile Beca shimmied away from the bed, through to the ensuite, and quietly closed the door behind her. She turned the shower on then inspected her reflection as she took her clothes off. She looked different. In the face. But she couldn't quite work out how. Maybe it was her smile? Beca pulled the door of the large shower open and stepped inside, letting out a long deep sigh of relief as the hot water splashed over her body. It was official, if she could spend the rest of her life in the shower she would. Beca pushed her head under the running water and began running her fingers through her hair. The acoustics were perfect for singing, not that she would for fear of waking Chloe, the hot water was soothing and comforting, and this was the main place she could be alone without people judging her for being a recluse. What was so wrong with having some time alone without people interfering anyway?

Beca turned on the spot to face the head of the shower that hung high above her petite frame, and reached out for the shampoo, squeezing a large amount into her hand before swiping it through her hair, massaging it into the roots. She turned back to her original position, her eyes closed as she rinsed the shampoo out of her hair with the falling water. She spat gently, trying to keep the soapy water from getting in her mouth as it ran down her face. Once she was satisfied all the shampoo was out of her hair she stepped forward slightly, out of the line of running water, and rubbed her hand over her face to open her eyes.

Beca let out a loud yelp as she saw a pair of bright blue eyes looking at her and the brunette quickly reached behind her and turned the shower off, her heart racing, not least of all because she had had the fright of her life! "Dude!" She yelled at her best friend who was currently stood, naked in the shower with her, a flirtatious grin on her face as she giggled slightly at Beca's awkwardness, "Couldn't you have at least knocked or something?" This was an entirely different experience to the first time Chloe had ever walked in on her in the shower. Back when she barely knew the redhead. Back in her freshman year. She'd be lying if she hadn't thought about that moment a lot over the six years that they'd known each other. Still, this latest encounter had surprised Beca so much that she hadn't really registered that they were both naked.

"You wouldn't have heard me!" The redhead said, and she reached past Beca, turning the shower back on. The two women yelped as freezing shower water sprayed out at them. Beca had quickly stepped backwards out of the line of fire but grinned as Chloe squealed while getting a face-full of water which, from the looks of things, quickly warmed up again. Her heart was ramming against her chest as she saw Chloe bring her hands up and push back her sopping wet red hair, wiping her face of water in the process. God she was beautiful.

Upon noticing Beca's facial expression from the other side of the shower water, Chloe let out a giggle, a broad grin on her face. A grin that slowly dropped. Beca suddenly forgot how to breathe. She couldn't tear her eyes from the redhead before her as Chloe reached out and took her hand, pulling her through the shower stream and out the other side to stand with her.

Beca spluttered slightly, wiping her hand up her face and pushing her brown hair back to stop the water from trailing into her eyes. She looked from Chloe's blue eyes, down to her lips, and she had this sudden urge to kiss her. Hard. But Chloe had beaten her to it, almost knocking the breath out of Beca's lungs as the redhead pulled their bodies together and smashed her lips against the petite brunette's.

Beca loved kissing. It was her absolute favourite thing. At least it had been before last night. Now her favourite thing was kissing Chloe. The redhead was sometimes forceful with her lips, but they were so soft that her kisses would feel heartfelt. And at the moment the water from the shower brought a whole new experience to the kissing game as the women kept capturing each other's lips noisily.

Beca wrapped her wet arms around Chloe's waist, not having time to think about how this was the first time she had ever had a woman's naked body against her, and pulled the redhead tighter to her, something that elicited a small moan at the back of Chloe's throat. Chloe meanwhile had brought her arms around Beca's neck, glazing her tongue along the brunette's bottom lip, causing Beca to open her mouth with no protest, deepening the kiss while she pulled them under the stream of hot shower water.

...

Aubrey let out a small yawn as she took a seat at the large breakfast table that had been reserved for her and The Bella's. Glancing at her watch she saw that it was 8.45. She peered over her shoulder at her group of friends as they filled their plates up with food from the buffet breakfast provided by the hotel. She smiled softly as Staci joined her, taking the seat beside her, and reaching over to place a yoghurt then a bowl of fruit salad in front of the blonde. "Thank you" Aubrey said quietly to the woman beside her, who let out a coy grin and gave her a wink before resuming her focus on the fruit salad before her. Aubrey felt her stomach knot slightly at the interaction, almost certain she could feel her cheeks blushing, but before she could really address how she felt the rest of The Bella's joined them.

"No Bhloe, what a surprise." Fat Amy said with a sigh as she sat down in the seat beside Aubrey before compiling a large bacon sandwich.

"They obviously had a very good night." Cynthia-Rose said whilst wiggling her eyebrows and the women around the table grinned. Even Aubrey found herself smiling slightly, remembering the moment she found out that her best friend had finally been on the date she had so desperately wanted to go on for years.

_"I guess I'll go and get my laptop then?" Beca said and Aubrey nodded in approval, not least of all because the time that the brunette was away was the time that she could spend grilling Chloe about why the hell they were both so dressed up! She had spent a good hour looking around the hotel for the two women, calling Chloe's cell as much as possible, it going to voicemail each time._

_Aubrey's heart-rate began to increase as she watched Beca reach over to Chloe's back pocket and pull out their hotel key. The blonde knew her mouth had dropped open but she didn't care. Beca was acting very weird, even for her. She watched the petite brunette walk away from them and out of the lobby, glancing back at them on her way out with a grin. Aubrey looked at her best friend and the redhead had a look on her face that she'd never seen in the nine years that she'd known her whilst her eyes followed Beca out of the room._

_"Okay spill." Aubrey found herself immediately saying to Chloe, to which the redhead merely shrugged, despite the hint of an excitable smile in the corner of her mouth, "I…don't know what you're talking about."_

_"Chloe I know you…something's happened, now tell me!" She watched Chloe begin to slowly walk over to the armchairs that were gathered towards the back of the lobby. It hadn't gone unnoticed by Aubrey that Chloe was particularly well presented for someone who had just gone out to dinner with a friend and, come to think of it Beca had been well presented too. Suddenly it hit her, and the blonde dashed over to join her best friend, perching on the armchair beside her, "Oh my God, were you two out on a date?!" She saw Chloe look at her with a grin, biting her bottom lip as she nodded slowly, "Oh my God! How? Wha… When did this happen?"_

_Her heart was racing with excitement as she saw a broad smile grow on her best friend's face, "This afternoon. When she stormed off and I followed her? I had a bit of a go at her and it turned out the reason why she was being so weird is because she has feelings for me." Aubrey couldn't believe what she was hearing. She hadn't seen her best friend look this happy in a very, very long time. "So, yeah, we've just come back from a date."_

_Aubrey held her breath waiting for more details, but Chloe seemed to have gone into a bit of a trance, glancing down at the flower she was spinning between her fingers and thumbs. "And?" Aubrey asked excitably._

_"It was perfect. The best date I've ever been on. Seriously, Bree, she'd thought of everything. Booked a table, ordered my favourite wine, got me my favourite flower, even paid for our meal!" Aubrey felt numb and she knew her mouth was open but she couldn't believe what she'd just heard. From the sounds of things Beca had actually been romantic! "I think this is it Bree. I've said all along that she's the one even if she didn't like me in the same way but…she actually does!"_

_Aubrey couldn't help the broad grin on her face as she saw her best friend beaming at her. A small part of the blonde had always disliked Beca. She had always seemed selfish and unemotional and distant. She had disliked Beca because she believed that those traits were things that would hurt her best friend. But from what Chloe had just said, Beca had been anything but selfish, unemotional or distant. And that knowledge pulled a large weight off Aubrey's shoulders, relieved that the woman her best friend had pined over for the the past six years actually felt the same way about her, and not only that but that she was treating Chloe right. That's all Aubrey ever wanted._

_"Oh Chloe, I'm so happy for you! You've wanted this for such a long time."_

"Ladies remember what we agreed last night. We're not to talk about it in front of them until they tell us themselves, and until then we're not to make them feel awkward." Aubrey said with grace as she peeled back the lid of her yoghurt pot to pour onto her fruit salad. Unfortunately for Beca and Chloe, all The Bella's knew that they had been on a date last night. So Aubrey was now doing everything within her power to keep The Bella's from making things uncomfortable for the new couple, Chloe's happiness being her ultimate priority.

_"Goodnight you two" Aubrey said, looking over at Beca and Chloe as they walked away from her and down the corridor to their room. She opened her hotel door as she heard Beca and Chloe call out "Goodnight" and she smiled. What an odd feeling, to know that not only had those two women just been out on a 'wonderful' date together, but that they were about to go to sleep in the same bed. Aubrey cringed slightly. The expression didn't last long however, and she shut the door behind her as she noticed the rest of The Bella's were sat in her and Amy's room, split between the two single beds, looking at her expectantly._

_"Erm…hello?" She asked awkwardly and the women before her grinned, "Is everything ok?"_

_She watched as Fat Amy let out a long sigh before getting up off her bed and walking over to her, "Aubrey, there's something we need to tell you but…you're gonna want to sit down."_

_Aubrey let Fat Amy guide her to the section of bed that she'd been sitting on and she took a seat next to Staci, furrowing her brow slightly to work out what could possibly be so serious that warranted her to sit down. She looked at the woman beside her who bit her bottom lip nervously before sharing, "We saw Chloe and Beca having dinner at a fancy bistro this evening."_

_Aubrey's stomach knotted. Nothing stayed secret for long round here. Trying to play it off, she shrugged, "So? They're allowed to have dinner together."_

_"Yeah the thing is, it looked like they were on a date." Cynthia-Rose chimed in and Aubrey turned to look at her sat on the bed opposite, "They were talking real close, and laughing, and were sharing a dessert."_

_"That's because they were on a date!"_

_Aubrey found herself looking at Fat Amy who had just piped up, but had a guilty expression on her face. Aubrey furrowed her brow. How did she know that Beca & Chloe had been on a date?_

_"I bumped into them when they were on their way out. They told me they were going on a date…then they told me not to tell anyone…whiiich I've just done…oops."_

_The Bella's started squealing and giggling and chatting amongst themselves in excitement that two of their closest friends were dating. The two friends that they had all said made the perfect couple. The two friends that had often had the most obvious sexual tension over the years._

_"What the hell Amy?!" Aubrey couldn't help but say loudly to the Australian, causing The Bella's to hush, "I was looking for them for like an hour earlier. I even asked you if you knew where they were and you said no!"_

_"Yeah that was back when I was good at keeping secrets!" Fat Amy exclaimed sarcastically, choosing to sit on the floor between the foot of both single beds. Aubrey could feel her annoyance begin to bubble away but she felt a soft hand smooth it's way over her back and she turned to see that Staci had reached out to calm her down. This wasn't a common interaction between the two and Aubrey felt almost too shocked at Staci's touch to continue telling Fat Amy off._

_So after a pause and a deep breath, Aubrey smiled, "It doesn't matter anymore. What matters now is how we handle this news."_

_"News?" She heard Cynthia-Rose ask._

_"That Beca and Chloe are dating."_

_Aubrey saw the faces of The Bella's all light up and her stomach knotted. She hoped that this wouldn't get back to Chloe. The redhead understandably wanted to keep things on the down-low for fear that Beca would freak out and no longer want to date her. Aubrey decided that she would do everything possible to keep The Bella's from ruining the couple's chances of being happy._

Aubrey turned in her seat to see what the women at her table were gawking at, and her heart soared as she saw the figures of Beca and Chloe sauntering over to the buffet together. Aubrey had to admit, this was the happiest she had ever seen either of them. She smiled as she watched Beca holding two plates while Chloe loaded them up with equal amounts of breakfast food. The way Beca looked at the redhead, with a soft grin on her face while Chloe chatted away to her, made Aubrey hopeful that the woman really _did_ care deeply for her best friend. There was a quick scramble for cutlery as The Bella's saw the two women turn away from the buffet and walk over to them.

"Hey awesome Nerds" the brunette greeted her friends cheerily and Aubrey noticed that Beca had damp hair. Chloe appeared behind her holding two bowls of fruit salad, a big grin plastered on her face. Aubrey noticed that the redhead also had damp hair. The blonde didn't want to consider what could have possibly made the two women late down for breakfast, but it was very obvious.


	12. The First Day - Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [A gathering of one-shots that follow The Bella's throughout the 24hrs since Beca & Chloe's first kiss..]

** 0930hrs **

A screech of chairs dragging along wooden flooring was sounded around the busy hotel restaurant as many of The Bella's stood up from their table and began making their way up to their respective hotel rooms get ready for a rehersal. All who remained in their seats were Beca, Chloe, Fat Amy, and sat two seats down was Aubrey. Beca held her right hand out and was focussed on rubbing her thumb somewhat nervously against the glass her orange juice had once been in, as though trying to rub a sticker off the surface, yet there was no sticker there. To her right sat Chloe. To her left Fat Amy. The two people who knew about last nights date. Almost opposite her was Aubrey. The one who would likely go crazy if she found out.

Beca tried desperately hard to ignore the look that Chloe was giving her, clearly trying to work out what was going on in her mind. But nothing was going on. She felt numb. Absent. Memories of all that had happened between her and the redhead in the past twelve hours flashing in her mind. She could distinctly smell Chloe's perfume, despite the presence of breakfast food nearby, and she wondered if it was because Chloe's perfume was actually _on_ her? Beca casually grabbed the collar of her blue flannel top and brought it up to her face, trying to pull it off that she was wiping her nose. A weird warm rush ran over her body as she could smell Chloe's perfume on her clothes and she tried to remain unbothered by the fact that had nobody else been in the room with them at that precise moment she would've pulled Chloe onto the floor and had sex with her there and then.

"So…" Beca dragged herself back to reality as she heard the voice and turned her eyes to Fat Amy, who was looking at her and Chloe, wiggling her eyebrows up and down, a massive teasing grin on her face "what've you chicks been up to since I last saw you?"

Beca could feel the heat rise in her cheeks and she could tell she was blushing badly. But before she or Chloe could respond a voice piped up from the other side of the table, "Er Amy? Shouldn't you be getting ready for rehearsals?" Aubrey said as she stood up from the breakfast table. Beca furrowed her brow slightly at Aubrey's behaviour. The blonde actually looked _flustered_ as she pulled her hotel key out of her pocket and twiddled the keyring between her fingers and thumb.

"Aubrey we have a whole hour before we leave!" The Australian protested with a screwed up face, her tone suggesting that she had no idea why her roommate was making a fuss. Beca saw Aubrey raise her eyebrows at Amy, a serious look on her face before jerking her head towards the door that would lead them out of the restaurant. This motion seemed to be enough of a hint, and Amy let out a long sigh, " _Fine_!" The Australian pushed her chair back before getting up, giving Beca and Chloe a wink and a grin as she did so, then walked out of the room into the lobby.

Beca turned to Chloe who appeared to be giving Aubrey a grateful grin, a grin that was returned by their friend who quickly said, "Right, well…we'll see you down in the lobby in an hour." And Beca watched Aubrey turn on her heels and pace out of the restaurant to go to her hotel room.

The brunette rolled her eyes and looked at the woman sat beside her, saying in a monotone voice, "Aubrey knows, doesn't she..." She saw Chloe screw her face up, nodding slightly as she bit her bottom lip. If she wasn't currently infatuated with the beautiful redhead, Beca would have definitely got annoyed. But as she looked into those bright blue eyes Beca realised there was no way she could ever get annoyed with her best friend.

"Dude what happened to us not telling anyone yet?" she said with a chuckle and her heart skipped a beat slightly as Chloe reached out and placed a hand on her thigh, "Beca she saw us returning from our date." Beca brought her right hand down and placed it on Chloe's as the redhead squeezed her thigh affectionately with a small giggle, "She totally guessed. There was nothing I could do!"

Beca rolled her eyes again but the smile on her face showed Chloe that she wasn't angry, "Alright, alright, well…at least she _appears_ to be taking it well." It was true. Aubrey appeared to have taken this news _very_ well indeed.

Beca found her heart racing a little as Chloe turned in her seat to face her and lean towards her ear, whispering excitably, "That's because she can see how happy you make me!" And the brunette tried to hide the grin that had spread across her face as she muttered, "You goofball" trying not to care that her _girlfriend_ had wrapped both her hands around Beca's right hand and was squeezing it affectionately, responding with a hushed, "Yeah, but I'm _your_ goofball."

** 1040hrs **

The Bella's reached the bottom of the escalator moving away from it slowly, in a huddle, while Aubrey took the lead, looking at the underground map on a wall opposite that would tell them which direction to get their tube from. Chloe followed her friends, but her brain wasn't really processing what her eyes were seeing as they all weaved their way between the bustling tourists and inhabitants of London.

The redhead wandered in a trance, having just about overheard Aubrey tell them they would need to take a left to stand on the westbound platform. A soft grin whispered across her face as her mind drifted, remembering the moments leading up to and the actual feel of the first kiss she and Beca had shared. It had been everything she had hoped for and more. Gentle, affectionate, soft, meaningful. She had frozen in shock at how right it had felt. The subsequent kisses they had shared over the following two hours that they had spent making out had been bolder. More explorative. Hands had remained over pyjamas, though Chloe could remember how desperately she had wanted to feel Beca's smooth skin beneath her fingertips. And then, as the time fell deeper into the early hours of the morning, their kisses became less frequent and the two women had simply laid together, looking into one another's eyes with goofy grins on their faces until they fell asleep in each other's arms.

The Bella's slowly shuffled through onto the busy platform, weaving their way between expectant passengers while a tube arrived into the station. "We'll wait for the next one!" Aubrey called from the front of the group, as people around them barged onto the available carriages. As the tube pulled away from the station The Bella's stepped forward to the edge of the platform to ensure their place on the next tube. Chloe stood at the back of the little group but didn't mind, content in staring at the large advert on the wall opposite the platform. Or rather looking but not seeing, as her mind wandered again.

Remembering waking up this morning to the sound of the shower running in the hotel room ensuite. She had turned to see that Beca was no longer laying beside her, assuming she must be in the shower. She remembered crawling out of bed and putting her ear to the door of the ensuite, hearing Beca step into the shower. Chloe had felt butterflies in her tummy as she pulled her pyjamas off and scooted into the ensuite. Her heart had been racing as she'd stepped into the shower, delighted that Beca hadn't noticed. She'd watched the petite brunette wash her hair, loving the way she'd scrunched up her nose and spat away the soapsuds of shampoo. Chloe's eyes had naturally drifted down Beca's naked body and it had taken her all of her self control not to pounce on the woman there and then. A good decision as it turned out because Beca had been pretty startled by Chloe's presence. The moment she had pulled Beca to her, impulsively, kissing her hungrily, had been one of the best decisions she had ever made. The feel of the brunette's wet kisses and soft tongue rolling with hers as Beca pulled her underneath the hot shower water with her. The feel of her damp skin beneath her fingertips as she ran her hands all over Beca's body. The feel of Beca's mouth as her best friend had licked and sucked at her neck, shoulders, breasts…

Chloe jumped out of her daydream as she felt her hand being taken and she turned to see her best friend, her _girlfriend_ , standing beside her with a cheeky grin on her face, as though the woman had an idea. Her heart skipped a beat as Beca motioned her head in a direction further down the platform from The Bella's and Chloe let out a small squeal and a little giggle as she allowed Beca to drag her between passengers to a spot a little further down the platform, just out of sight of their friends. Beca managed to get close to the edge of the platform and stopped. Chloe stood so her body faced her right side, and the redhead held Beca's right hand in both her hands as she leant close, brushing her lips against Beca's ear as she whispered, "I was just thinking about our shower this morning". She brought her face away slightly to see Beca's reaction and was thrilled to see Beca swallow loudly, a grin slowly wiping its way onto the brunette's face as her cheeks began to flush slightly. She felt the woman squeeze her hands as their tube rumbled into the station and Chloe took this opportunity to kiss Beca quickly on the cheek.

Chloe allowed Beca to lead her onto the crowded tube, noticing that they were at the end of the carriage and they glanced down the carriage, seeing the top of Aubrey's head, pleased to know that The Bella's had at least got on the same tube as them. They only had two stops to go until they needed to get off. Chloe leant back against the metal frame of the tube, the angle causing her to drop about a foot in height as she kept her feet outstretched slightly in front of her, and she tugged on both of Beca's hands as the brunette snuck past an older gentleman to straddle her _girlfriend's_ feet. They were confident The Bella's couldn't see them. Chloe looked up into Beca's eyes and suddenly it was as though they were the only two in the crowded carriage as the door alarms sounded to notify passengers that the doors were closing. Chloe let go of Beca's hands and instead smoothed her palms over Beca's hips, letting them rest there. She saw the brunette look down at her lips and Chloe's heart skipped a beat.

All of a sudden the tube jolted forward as it began to leave the station causing Beca's whole body to fall entirely against Chloe's. The two women giggled as Beca pushed against the metal behind Chloe, her hands either side of Chloe's head, but only pushed away so much that she didn't crush the redhead's body. Chloe felt her breath catch in her lungs as she saw Beca lean her face towards her, and she slowly closed her eyes as Beca, her _girlfriend_ , placed a soft kiss on her lips. A kiss that involuntarily became firmer as the tube picked up speed, but the women didn't complain. Chloe snaked her arms under Beca's jacket and around her waist, pulling her closer while it felt as though balls of fire burnt away in the pit of her stomach. No sooner had the kiss started it finished as Chloe reluctantly let Beca step away from her to let some passengers leave the carriage. They hadn't even realised the tube had reached the next station. Only one more to go. And Chloe grinned as Beca stood next to her, the brunette putting her hand in Chloe's jeans back pocket to cup her ass cheek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to capture that intense infatuation you get when you first start dating someone you ADORE!


	13. The First Day - Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The second part of a two part bunch of one-shots that follow The Bella's throughout the 24hrs since Beca & Chloe's first kiss...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ['Vapour' by 'Vancouver Sleep Clinic' was listened to during the writing of this chapter]

** 1100hrs **

Aubrey lead The Bella's down the long corridor that lead to the stage, having been informed that the dressing rooms were along here. She stuck her head in the first door on her left marked 'dressing room 1'. Her stomach fell a little. It was small. Not tiny. But certainly not big enough for any more than five people to get ready. Six at a push. She carried on a little further down, hearing her Bella's pause at 'dressing room 1' while she peered into 'dressing room 2'. Somehow this one was smaller. No more than three in here at the most! She held her breath as she approached the final dressing room, 'dressing room 3'. It was the same size as 2. Which in an odd way made Aubrey feel a little relieved, having feared it would be smaller. "Right well…they're not the biggest dressing rooms but we can make do." Aubrey said as she turned to The Bella's who were looking somewhat unimpressed, "Does anybody have any dressing room preferences?" The women before her shook their heads.

"Okay then. Amy, you and I will share dressing room 1 with Beca and Chloe…" she ignored Fat Amy's reaction as the Australian, who stood at the back of the group with the other two, beamed at Beca whilst nudging her heavily into Chloe, causing Beca to reach out and grab the redhead's hand before Chloe fell over. Or had Beca already been holding Chloe's hand? Aubrey continued, "Staci?" She saw the young woman stand up straight, biting her bottom lip with an expectant expression, "You can share dressing room 2 with Jessica and Ashley." The blonde didn't notice Staci's expression fall. "Leaving dressing room 3 for you Cynthia-Rose, to share with Lily and Flo."

Aubrey exhaled loudly, holding her head high and pushing through The Bella's to make her way back up the corridor to the first dressing room to drop off the suitcase she had got Fat Amy to wheel around the London Underground for her. Dragging it through the door she sighed heavily. This dressing room was not only small, it also had a musty, sweaty smell and she wondered which artists had used this room before them. Aubrey brought a hand up to her face, brushing back some stray hairs that had come loose from her ponytail and had begun to tickle her nose. She heard The Bella's walking along the corridor and past the open door of the dressing room to go to the stage for their rehearsal.

Aubrey rolled her eyes as she overheard Fat Amy ask Beca and Chloe, as they walked past the dressing room, how their dinner was last night. She could only imagine the reactions of the couple. Couple. Aubrey exhaled as she lugged the suitcase up onto the surface of the worktop that ran along the side of the small room. The two women had barely been together for twelve hours and in her head Aubrey was already referring to Beca and Chloe as a couple. A couple. Sure it seemed soon but Aubrey had known the two of them for a long time, particularly Chloe, so it was difficult not to. The two women had been identified in the group as almost being a 'package deal' for a couple of years now, since they had moved to NYC together.

Aubrey felt an odd sinking feeling as she thought back on how Chloe had looked last night. The way her whole face had lit up as she'd described to Aubrey the perfect date she had had with Beca. That same smile that had been on her face over breakfast this morning. Aubrey had noticed the absent look on the redhead's face as they'd walked around the underground. She'd also been the unfortunate one to notice Chloe and Beca kissing on the tube earlier too.

Aubrey suddenly felt a wave of sadness as she unzipped the suitcase, noticing there was no longer any noise coming from the corridor, The Bella's having walked to the stage ahead of her. She was thrilled for her best friend. Of course she was. Beca was everything Chloe had so desperately wanted for so long. She had seen it in the redhead's face the moment they had first met Beca. Chloe had fallen fast, and credit to her had secretly maintained her burning ball of love for the brunette for six long years, until luck had had it that Beca had revealed she felt the same way too. And now they appeared to be besotted by one another.

Aubrey pulled out the small folder she had carefully packed at the top of the suitcase, brushing the back of her hand over the tip of her nose. She felt like crying. What she wouldn't give to feel a bit of love from someone that was even the tiniest sample of the love Chloe had for Beca, and that Beca probably had for Chloe. It had been years since she had had a boyfriend. Years since she had really been on a date. She had been so wrapped up and focused on her business, which was a huge success, that she had never allowed herself the time to date, or even have so much as a fling.

"Everything okay?" Aubrey jumped as she heard the soft voice sound from the doorway behind her. She turned around and she straightened up. Stood before her was Staci, her hands behind her back, and a concerned look on her face. Aubrey felt her heart begin to race. What was it about this girl? They had spent most of the tour so far not speaking, and barely even acknowledging one another's existence. And that wasn't because they were avoiding each other. It was because, until eleven hours ago, Aubrey had forgotten Staci had even existed. She classed Staci as one of the quieter Bella's, despite being the most attractive Bella by far in Aubrey's opinion. This was the first time in her recollection that she and Staci had ever been alone in a room before, and she could feel her green eyes drinking in every inch of her body.

"Oh…erm…yes. Of course. I'm…I'm fine. Just…these changing rooms." Aubrey stuttered as she pushed her hair about on top of her head and motioned to the room.

"Don't you mean dressing rooms?" Aubrey found her cheeks flushing slightly in embarrassment as the tall brunette called her out on her mistake, a teasing grin on her face. The blonde found herself gripping the small folder she had in her hands a little tighter as she nodded slowly, a forced grin on her face to try to hide how dorky she seemed at the moment. Dorky? Since when did she use the word dorky?! She had to get out of there.

"Yes well…they smell a lot like men's sports changing rooms so…" Aubrey said as she paced past Staci and down the corridor towards the stage, realising that the leggy brunette was hot on her heels, muttering something about not having to tell her how terrible men's changing rooms smelt as she'd visited a fair few of the Barden University men's changing rooms when she'd been in college. Aubrey felt a strange knot in her stomach as she stepped up to the stage, remembering just how promiscuous Staci had been back in college. The blonde let out a short sigh, that fixed smile on her face as The Bella's stood gathered together to one side of the stage laughing and chatting about something that Aubrey thought she overheard was about a group of tourists on the underground earlier. She notices the way Beca glances at Chloe and cannot believe the change in personality that the brunette has had since revealing to the redhead how she really felt. And Aubrey wishes she had someone who looked at her like that. Staci gave her a small nudge with her elbow before sauntering off to the rest of The Bella's and Aubrey forgot what she was thinking about. She sees the model approach Cynthia-Rose, accepting a high-five while CR very obviously checked her out. Aubrey felt her stomach knot again, though she wasn't sure why. Was she jealous? The blonde took a deep breath and clapped her hands loudly to get The Bella's attention and to mark the beginning of their rehearsal.

** 1600hrs **

Beca slid the key into the hotel room lock and stepped over the threshold. She hadn't felt this exhausted in a long time, knowing that while she could easily blame it on the heavy three hour rehearsal she'd just had to endure with The Bella's at tonight's venue, the more likely excuse for her tiredness was that she could only boast four or so hours sleep. She grinned to herself as she thought about how worth it it had felt to have spent most of the early hours of the morning making out with the woman who had just closed the hotel room door behind her.

With a heavy sigh Beca fell back onto the double bed, scooching her body so that her head and upper-back was propped up by the pillows. She flopped her right arm back so it laid lazily behind her head and she smiled softly as she watched Chloe faffing about the room. The redhead placed her bag down by the bed before proceeding to the large wardrobe and pulling the large door open. The sound of Chloe's voice trickled across the room and into Beca's ears as the redhead softly hummed a song by Emeli Sandé. A warmth rushed over the brunette's body as she closed her eyes to the sound. She was so entranced by the melody that she hadn't realised Chloe had closed the wardrobe door, or that she had taken her boots off, so she wrenched her eyes open when she felt the bed move under the redhead's weight.

Beca watched as Chloe crawled over to her, her heart racing as she expected her to bring her face all the way up to hers. But Chloe chose to lay half on her and half on the bed, her arms crossed on Beca's stomach as she rested her chin on the back of her delicate hands, her left leg draped lazily over Beca's left leg. The brunette couldn't help but hold her breath as she stared down into her girlfriend's beautiful bright blue eyes, that looked up at her with affection.

Beca brought her left hand out and began smoothing her fingertips amongst Chloe's red hair, playing with the loose waves as she saw the woman's expression drifting with a soft smile on her face, her eyelids getting heavy. This right here? This was perfection. The thing that Beca loved about being with Chloe.

For the two years that they had lived together, this right here, being able to spend time alone together, in a relaxed atmosphere with no fuss, no stresses, no judgement, no awkwardness.. this was what Beca always cherished. Except now it was even better than it was before. Because now they were together together. They had actually been together. Each others' first sexual encounter with a woman. And Beca couldn't ever imagine her life without this woman in it. She was the one.

Beca froze as she noticed Chloe's eyes had closed. Her heart raced. Shit. She'd just admitted it to herself. Chloe. Her girlfriend. She was the one she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. Beca couldn't remember ever feeling this way about Jesse, and she'd been in a relationship with the guy for over three years. Beca hadn't even been in a 'relationship' with Chloe for 24hrs. And yet somehow, as she stared at the freckles that scattered around the snoozing redhead's cheeks and nose, she knew that Chloe was the one.

** 1830hrs **

Chloe stood at the doorway of her dressing room and glanced at the small clock that hung on the wall opposite her. An hour and a half until showtime. The Bella's had arrived at the venue they were performing at around an hour ago. All were dressed and were now patiently waiting to do their makeup in 'dressing room 2' and their hair in 'dressing room 3'.

Chloe looked around at the larger of the three dressing rooms. Aubrey was rifling through some paperwork, her makeup having already been done, and was patiently waiting to be called through to 'dressing room 3' where Cynthia-Rose was doing each Bella's hair one at a time. Fat Amy was busy giggling with Staci and Ashley at the different Snapchat filters that were available, trying to find the perfect one to use on The Barden Bella's official Snapchat. And Beca was pulling at the red waistcoat that she had reluctantly let Aubrey and Chloe pick out for The Bella's to wear in the opening number of their show. Chloe smiled. Beca looked cute when she was annoyed with something, and from the look of her expression she seemed mildly annoyed with the way the waistcoat rid up her stomach when she moved. The curse of having such a petite frame. Chloe knew how she could turn that frown upside down, so cleared her throat loudly.

"Beca can I just have a quick word with you please?" She called from the doorway, and she saw Beca look over at her expectantly, "Out here?" The redhead said, motioning to the corridor. Beca slowly made her way out of the dressing room, furrowing her brow slightly, as though unsure as to why the woman couldn't just say something in front of their friends.

Chloe walked casually down the corridor, passing the other two dressing rooms that were a hub of activity as the rest of The Bella's got ready. She could hear Beca walking a small pace behind her, "So what were you needing to talk to me about?" The corridor bent round to the left and the moment Chloe knew they were out of sight she spun around to grab both of Beca's hands, pulling the petite body against hers as the redhead stumbled back against the wall. Beca didn't really need to ask anything more, and instead bumbled against Chloe, happily letting her take the lead as their lips crashed together.

Chloe felt a warmth begin to bubble from within her as her fingertips wound their way through Beca's brown hair, and she inhaled sharply through her nose as her girlfriend ran a tongue across her bottom lip, demanding that their kiss deepened. A demand that Chloe welcomed and a hot wave rushed over her body, from the mouth downwards, as her tongue curled around Beca's. A light moan sounded from the back of her throat as she felt Beca squeeze her ass, pushing Chloe harder against the wall. The redhead felt as though they were melting into one as her mind drifted.

She felt Beca pull her face away, and could tell from her expression that she had done so reluctantly. Their foreheads rested against each other as they stared down at each other's mouths breathlessly, Chloe bringing her right hand over to cup Beca's cheek, smoothing her thumb over her soft skin. "We shouldn't do this here." Beca said quietly, though the way she squeezed Chloe's ass once again gave Chloe the impression that she felt like she had to say that.

"I couldn't wait," Chloe aired with a whisper and a coy grin, "I needed to make the most of us not having makeup on" and she saw Beca pull her face away while biting her lip, clearly trying to weigh their options. But before Chloe could say anything more Beca had quickly brought her lips back to hers, crushing the redhead against the wall. They resumed kissing passionately, Chloe with her hands cupping Beca's cheeks, Beca with her arms around Chloe's small waist, tugging slightly at the base of the redhead's red waistcoat.

"I...hate these waistcoats!" Beca growled between kisses and Chloe let out a silent giggle as Beca brought her lips down to her neck, nibbling and sucking on her skin.

"You agreed to them when...we were planning…this tour OUCH!" Chloe pushed gently on Beca's shoulders as the brunette pulled her face away from her neck with a guilty expression. She felt her heart begin to race a little as Beca's eyes fell to her neck and Chloe immediately brought her hand up to the patch she was looking at, "You haven't!"

"I…have."

Chloe couldn't help the small squeal that left her mouth as she processed what Beca had just done. A hickey. A frikkin' hickey?! What were they, teenagers? "Beca I'm 27! I can't be walking around with a hickey on my neck!"

But despite her protest she couldn't help the smile that spread across her face as Beca bit her bottom lip with a very guilty expression, "Sorry!" Chloe couldn't help but melt as she looked into Beca's deep blue eyes, glancing down briefly at her lips that were slightly swollen from their passionate kissing, before returning to look at her eyes. She couldn't be mad at her, especially not with the apologetic tone she was using, "Look, Chlo, it's not even that noticeable. And we'll be going through to do our makeup soon enough so…we can sort it out then…?"

Chloe raised an eyebrow, faining her disapproval, but she began to grin as Beca pulled her closer. Rolling her eyes and letting out a small sigh, the redhead brought her hand from her neck up to the back of Beca's head, saying quietly, "It's a good job you're pretty or I'd be really mad at you right now." And the two women quickly resumed their kissing, the sound of their lips smacking together echoing off the walls of the deserted corridor.

** 1900hrs **

Aubrey sat in one of the few chairs that had been provided for The Bella's as Cynthia-Rose slid the final bobby-pin into the hair at the back of her head. The blonde looked at her reflection in the mirror opposite as her friend stood back and she smiled, "Perfect! Thank you Cynthia-Rose."

The woman made to get up off the seat but CR held a hand up, "Wait a minute," she reached out and picked up the hair spray bottle that had been on the surface in front of Aubrey, but as she gave it a little shake she realised it was empty, "I'll just grab another from the suitcase, hang on."

Aubrey reached out for her phone as Cynthia-Rose scuttled out of the room. The time was 7pm. Only an hour until showtime and they still all needed to warm up. As far as she was aware the only Bella's that were in need of having their hair done were Lily, Staci, Beca and Chloe. Aubrey opened WhatsApp and texted Fat Amy: Are Beca & Chloe back yet?

Almost immediately Fat Amy replied with three quick texts, the first with a 'thumbs up' emoji. The second a 'finger pointing right' emoji, to the left of a 'hand making an OK sign' emoji. Then finally a 'wink with tongue sticking out' emoji. Aubrey furrowed her brow for a moment as she tried to work out what Amy meant. Then she immediately cringed, quickly texting back: Don't be disgusting. Tell them to get their makeup on!

Aubrey threw her phone on the worktop in front of her with a short sigh. She hated being out of control, and it had been highly unhelpful having Beca and Chloe disappearing with only an hour until their performance. As much as she was happy for her best friend, the reputation of The Bella's rested on each of their performances, no matter where they performed. If Beca and Chloe were unfocused they ran the risk of ruining tonight's show. Suddenly Aubrey noticed someone wander into the room, and upon recognising that they were far too tall to be Cynthia-Rose, she turned to see that Staci was slowly walking towards her.

If she hadn't been so nervous Aubrey would have noticed that Staci was there to have her hair done. But she didn't notice, instead becoming acutely aware of the feel of the tall model's leg against her arm as Staci perched on the worktop, smiling at her brightly, "Everything ok?" she asked. Aubrey swallowed loudly, clearing her throat as she searched for a response. No it wasn't okay. And she wasn't thinking about Beca and Chloe when considering that response. She couldn't explain why she currently had a knot in her stomach that had appeared the moment the woman beside her walked into the room. She couldn't explain why her arm was tingling at the touch of her skin. And she definitely couldn't explain why she was consciously making an effort to not move that arm.

"Okaaay…hellooo?" Staci said slowly, raising her eyebrows, waving a hand in front of Aubrey's face, and the blonde jumped muttering an apology while the tall brunette chuckled, "You zoned out there for a minute." Aubrey cleared her throat, shifting her weight so she changed position, turning her body a little towards Staci as the younger woman spoke, "It's crazy about Beca and Chloe huh?"

"Yeah pretty crazy…" Aubrey said quietly, looking at her reflection in the mirror, her eyes drifting over to see the reflection of Staci's long brown hair that hung delicately down the length of her back.

"I think it's cute. I mean, we could all see it coming, and they're made for each other. I just hope it's not a case of 'what happens on tour stays on tour'…." Aubrey returned her gaze to Staci's and realised the brunette's green eyes were already looking at her, a coy grin on her face as she whispered, "not that I have a problem with that." Aubrey swallowed loudly as Staci winked at her. Her eyes had found their way down to Staci's lips as the younger woman bit her bottom lip. Aubrey's heart was racing as her blue eyes locked with Staci's green. "Me either." the blonde managed to choke out. Suddenly she saw Cynthia-Rose pace into the room and Aubrey let out a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding.

The blonde allowed CR to spray her hair, trying to ignore the grin that had grown on the leggy brunette's face, and she quickly scurried out of the room the moment she was given the opportunity. Aubrey arrived at the door of 'dressing room 1', trying to mask how flustered she felt as she saw Fat Amy look over at her with a broad grin, "Did you walk in on Bhloe 'doing their makeup'?" the Australian teased, and Aubrey let out a short breath of air as she smoothed down her front, trying to compose herself while she walked into the room to join the rest of The Bella's. Perhaps it was a good thing Beca and Chloe were taking up all the gossip among The Bella's.

** 2300hrs **

"Bartender, ten of your finest jäger bombs please!" Fat Amy called out to the man stood behind the hotel bar. He looked at the Australian with a straight face, "We're a hotel not a nightclub."

"Then ten shots of whatever." Amy slurred, holding out a £50 note. The bartender rolled his eyes with a sigh and began preparing the drinks. The Bella's had been back at the hotel for an hour now after a successful first performance in London and had naturally all gravitated to the hotel bar to celebrate.

The Bella's cheered as Amy brought the tray of shots over to the group of women who were gathered on the sofas and an armchair in the corner of the hotel bar. Cynthia-Rose and Flo sat between Lily and Aubrey on one sofa, Jessica and Ashley were joined by Fat Amy on the other sofa. An armchair stood beside the two sofas and on it sat Beca, her hands grasping a bottle of beer while they rested on Chloe's lap. The redhead meanwhile sat on the arm of the armchair as her legs draped over Beca's lap, a glass of rosé in her hand, her cheeks reddening as the alcohol took affect.

Fat Amy passed the tray of shots around and noticed the position of Beca's hands on Chloe's lap, giving the brunette a teasing wink. Had the woman not already consumed two shots and a couple of beers she may have got incredibly embarrassed, perhaps even to the extent that she moved off the armchair, but Beca simply rolled her eyes and held her middle finger up at the Australian. The Bella's had chosen to not draw attention to the fact that Chloe was currently twirling a lock of Beca's hair between her fingers.

Aubrey necked the shot that had been handed to her and screwed her face up as the alcohol hit the back of her throat. She hated sambucca. She needed a big glass of water and a good nights sleep. Her Bella's had excelled at tonight's performance, it being their best one yet in her opinion. "Well ladies, thank you again for an excellent evening but this Bella needs her sleep." She stood up as she heard Cynthia-Rose and Flo 'boo' loudly and Chloe let out a whiney "Nooooo!" but the blonde simply smiled whilst holding out her hand towards Amy who reluctantly gave her their hotel key.

"Goodnight ladies!" Aubrey sang out to The Bella's who all bid her goodnight as she walked out of the bar area, through the hotel lobby, and over to the area where the elevators stood. The blonde let out a long sigh as she brought a finger up and pushed the call button. She found herself thinking back to where she'd left her best friend, legs draped over Beca while the redhead happily played with the woman's hair. The look on Chloe's face had been that of someone who was so blissfully happy that a train could have careered through the hotel bar and she wouldn't have noticed, her entire attention being on Beca.

Aubrey felt tears prickle her eyes, something that she presumed was down to the alcohol she'd drank in the bar over the past hour. She would give so much to have someone give her the kind of attention that Chloe and Beca were giving each other. A loud 'ping' sounded and the door of the elevator sprung open.

Aubrey's breath caught in her lungs, her throat going dry as she looked up and saw Staci stood alone in the elevator. She remembered that the tall brunette had gone upstairs to get dressed about twenty minutes ago. Aubrey could feel her heart begin to race as she looked into Staci's eyes. She could see the model's chest rise and fall.

Suddenly a 'ping' noise sounded and the elevator doors closed leaving Aubrey to exhale loudly as she stared at the silver doors that were mere inches from her nose. She couldn't even begin to explain how she was feeling. Why she was feeling the way she was. Had she just imagined Staci had been in the elevator? Had the doors even opened?

The blonde jumped as the elevator doors flung open again and Aubrey felt the breath knocked out of her lungs as Staci immediately launched forward, grabbing her cheeks and pulling her into a deep kiss. Aubrey snapped her eyes shut and thanks to the shots she had had earlier, she found the courage to wrap her arms around Staci's small waist. Butterflies were racing around in her stomach as she marvelled at just how soft Staci's lips felt against hers.

No sooner had the kiss began it stopped and Aubrey froze as Staci pulled their faces apart, her cheeks still being cupped by the tall brunette. She held her breath as she opened her eyes and saw a pair of bright green eyes shining at her. "What happens on tour, stays on tour, right?" she heard Staci whisper with a grin.

Aubrey stuttered, "Uh…ri-right…yes…" and that appeared to be all Staci needed to hear. The brunette gave her a seductive wink, dropping her hands down to her sides before walking away from Aubrey and down to the lobby to join The Bella's in the bar. The blonde watched her go, stunned, frozen to the spot, a look of disbelief at what had just happened. She saw the leggy brunette disappear from sight. Aubrey gently brought a hand up and let her fingertips glaze over her lips as she stepped into the elevator. A small smile grew on her face as the memory of Staci's kiss washed over her body, and the doors of the elevator closed once again.


	14. The Final Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Beca faces the reality of what "being Chloe's girlfriend" really means when Chloe gets raging drunk on the final night of their European Tour]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **warning - for those of you with delicate stomachs there is the mention of vomit and puke in this chapter.. I've tried not to be too descriptive!**

Three and a half weeks later and The Bella's were all sat in the booth of a bar in Prague, the final destination of their European Tour. Three hours ago they had successfully completed their final performance and had decided to go to the bar that was around the corner from the large apartment they had been renting for the week. Tomorrow they would return to their respective homes. For now though they were doing as Flo so often said, they were living for tonight! Well…that had been the intention.

Beca sat up straight, her head feeling heavy from the alcohol she had already consumed. That was the thing with the beer here, it was very strong. They were only on their third round and already most of The Bella's were plastered, partly shouting to be heard, partly shouting due to the alcohol. The bar was busy, with a band playing in the corner while people gathered around the small stage and the bar area. Beca felt Chloe put a heavy arm around her shoulders, pushing her mouth over to the brunette's face and slurring rather loudly, "I need…to go…to the bathroom." Beca didn't ask any questions. She slid off the end of the booth seat, holding the back of it to help steady herself. Her head was spinning a little, but she felt strong enough to remain stood. She glanced down and noticed that Chloe had made it to the edge of the booth seat but stopped there, swaying slightly. She was a notorious light-weight.

"I think she's gonna be sick short-stack! Better get her to a bathroom quick!" Beca's stomach sank as Fat Amy called out at her from the middle of the booth seat, squished between Flo and Staci. Was this _her_ responsibility now? She _hated_ sick. She could deal with most things, but sick wasn't one of them.

"I'm not going to be sick!" The redhead slurred angrily, flinging an arm around to point at Amy, and knocking two empty pint glasses in the process, making Jessica and Ashley leap out of the way for fear of beer being spilled down their fronts. "I'm fine! Watch!" and Chloe stood up suddenly. Beca found herself reaching out and grabbing her girlfriend's wrists before she toppled back onto Aubrey, who had dove into Staci to avoid being crumpled. "Becaaa!" Chloe squealed in glee as she put her arm around the petite brunette's shoulders, leaning into her, "You _saved_ me!"

"Come on, let's get you to the bathroom." Beca winced as she struggled slightly under the weight of the woman who was fortunately just about able to walk. Not in a straight line. But anything was better than having to drag her. She could hear a couple of The Bella's wolf-whistle but Beca didn't have the attention span to identify it, instead her entire focus being on getting Chloe to the bar's bathroom as soon as possible. "I'm gonna need you to help me a bit here Chlo." She said, a hint of irritation in her voice as she pulled the redhead away from a couple that they were about to walk into. Chloe leant into her, whispering loudly, "You really _care_ about me don't you Becs?" before letting out a giggle and pushing Beca's hair back sloppily with her free hand.

Beca rolled her eyes as she pulled them through the door of the women's bathroom. She had to admit, she was relieved the lighting wasn't too bright and that they were alone. It meant she wouldn't feel too embarrassed trying to help Chloe into a cubical so the redhead could pee. Her stomach lurched as she felt Chloe pull away from her and stagger over to the sinks, placing her hands on the edge of one to steady herself as she looked at her reflection in the mirror, taking shaky deep breaths. She wasn't seriously going to be… oh _shit_!

Beca suddenly found herself sobering up rather quickly as she lunged forward to join her girlfriend, who had just bent over and thrown up into the sink. "Ugh, Becaaa…I'm _so sorry_ …" Chloe groaned. Beca stood beside her, panicking slightly. She had no idea what to do. _Shit_! She peered tentatively into the sink and suddenly felt queasy as she spied small chunks of food within Chloe's vomit. Beyond anything it was the smell that was getting to Beca, and she turned away with a grimace as Chloe groaned again whilst slurring apology after apology. The brunette tentatively brought a hand up and smoothed it across her girlfriend's back, "Shh…it…it's okay Chlo…"she said unconvincingly, but fortunately Chloe was too drunk to notice, as the redhead began to slowly lose her strength, her upper body beginning to dip dangerously close to the vomity sink. "Woah!" Beca found herself saying as she pulled Chloe to stand up a little straighter. She did _not_ want to end up having to wash vomit out of Chloe's hair when they got back to the Bella's apartment. There were some 'first times' in a relationship that she was happy to keep a mystery, and the experience of washing vomit out of Chloe's hair was one of them.

With her right arm around the redhead's waist, Beca reluctantly reached her left hand out and turned the tap in the hope that running water would wash the vomit down the plug hole. She hadn't anticipated, however, that it would instead fill the sink higher, the chunks having blocked the plug hole. Beca quickly turned the tap off, cursing under her breath as Chloe gasped "Oh _no_! Becs you're making it _worse_!" Beca glared at her girlfriend who noticed the expression and immediately looked apologetic before letting out a giggle. The brunette shook her head slightly in disbelief. If someone had told her when she had first met this woman that six years later she would not only rent an apartment with her in NY, but that she would also be in a relationship with her, and that she cared about her so much that she would reluctantly consider having to push her sick down a sink in Prague… Well Beca would've definitely told them where to go!

Beca stared down at the sink, grimaced, and held her breath. Okay, she'd do it. She turned to look at her drunk girlfriend who had slumped back against the wall beside them and was currently staring at her with a lazy, apologetic grin. Beca stared intently into Chloe's eyes trying to ignore the fact that she had just slowly placed her left hand into the sink, speaking firmly, "You're lucky I love you or you'd be doing this yourself right now." The brunette was too focused on trying to ignore how disgusting her hand felt in the sink that she hadn't noticed she had just declared her love for her girlfriend out loud for the first time. After only three and a half weeks of being together. It seemed as though Chloe hadn't really realised either, instead choosing to bring a hand out and affectionately stroke her fingertips through Beca's hair. Though her drunken state meant that what Chloe defined as 'affectionate' was really more rougher than that, "You're looking _so hot_ tonight" she slurred and Beca highly doubted it as she pushed chunks down the plug hole.

The brunette had to bring her arm from around Chloe's waist to swat the redhead's hand away, slightly irritated, a hint that wasn't taken by the other woman, who staggered forward into her, wrapping her arms around her neck with a giggle. But Beca wasn't laughing as she let out a small "argh!", the redhead almost knocking her off balance. Things could've got very messy. Suddenly the door of the bathroom opened and Beca's stomach plummeted as she noticed one of the bar's staff sticking his head into the room, an angry expression on his face as he noticed the vomit in the sink. "I'm cleaning it up! Er...cleaning…it up?" The brunette said awkwardly, trying to act as sober as possible while her girlfriend tried to keep a straight face, giving the man a vague thumbs up while laced around the petite brunette. He stepped out of the bathroom, a suspicious expression on his face as though he didn't quite believe that the American really _was_ cleaning it up.

The moment the door closed Beca resumed frantically pushing the chunks down the plug hole, relieved when she noticed the level of the vomit getting lower. This really wasn't the easiest task now that Chloe had both arms around her neck and was busy planting heavy kisses on the brunette's head. "Let's go home…to _our_ home…in New York…" she mumbled between kisses, "I want…to have sex with you…in _every_ room of our apartment." If Beca hadn't been busy running the tap trying to wipe the last of Chloe's vomit down the drain she would've probably felt pretty turned on right now. But everything about this situation wasn't something to be turned on about.

_"We'd better get ready for breakfast" she heard Chloe mumble against the brunette's face as Beca continued to pepper kisses along her jawline. Beca had never known herself to be this affectionate. But there was something about Chloe, the way she smelt, the way she felt, that made Beca addicted to kissing every available part of her soft skin at every available opportunity. They'd had a successful first performance in London last night. The Bella's had returned to the hotel bar for a few celebratory drinks afterwards. Beca and Chloe had wandered up to their hotel room around 1am. No sooner had the door closed behind them they had been tearing at each other's clothes lustfully, fingers running through each others' hair, kissing messily as they fell into bed together, eager to explore one another's bodies. And that was where they'd been since, dozing on and off in each other's arms between sex._

_Beca let out a small groan in protest as Chloe sat up in the double bed with a grin, letting out a silent giggle, "You know Aubrey will tell us off if we're late" she said quietly as she made to slide out of bed. Beca reached out, grabbing Chloe's wrist gently, "But she knows about us Chlo. I'm sure she'll understand. Just another 10 minutes?" she begged, and her heart skipped a beat as Chloe turned to face her. The bed sheet that had been delicately covering her body had fallen down from her breasts and Beca felt her breath catch in her throat as the redhead slowly leant towards her, a soft smile on her face as she whispered, "You said that 10 minutes ago. And 10 minutes before that. And 10 minutes before that 10 minutes…" Beca knew she was breathing quickly but she didn't care as she felt lost in the bright blue eyes of her girlfriend, managing to croak out a low "Is it such a crime that I want to spend the whole day in bed with you?" By now Chloe had begun tracing the tip of her nose gently across Beca's, smiles on their faces, as she whispered affectionately, "We have the rest of our lives to spend in bed together…" and the redhead paused to lay a gentle kiss on Beca's lips, "…lives that may be a hell of a lot shorter if we don't go down to breakfast soon."_

_With a quick peck on the lips Beca reluctantly let Chloe slide out of their bed, "At least we'd die happy?" she offered with a smile, watching the naked redhead giggle as she walked around their bed and into the ensuite. A slightly horrified squeal sounded out and Beca froze. She knew what that squeal meant. Chloe had just looked at her reflection in the mirror. It would be difficult for her not to notice the three small hickeys on her neck that Beca had given her overnight to join the large one she'd given her yesterday before their show._

_"Beca!" The brunette slid out of bed and sidled over to the ensuite, crossing her arms over her naked stomach as she stood in the doorway apprehensively. Chloe was leant over the sink, trying to get a closer look at the marks on her neck in the mirror. Beca bit her lip, not even considering for a moment of admitting to Chloe that she was pretty proud of the hickey's she had given her. "How the hell am I supposed to cover these up?!" But the redhead's annoyed tone of voice didn't match her expression of happy disbelief as she smiled at the woman standing in the doorway_.

"Dude, I'm gonna need you to stand up for a moment while I wash my hands!" Beca said to her girlfriend strongly, attempting to peel Chloe's arms from around her neck with the cleaner hand. Her stomach plummeted as she heard the bathroom door open again, but to her relief she heard a familiar Australian drawl, "There you two are! I was beginning to worry I'd be walking in on you two making out" the blonde teased, but Beca grimaced slightly, "I am _not_ kissing that mouth tonight!"and motioned to the sink that only had a couple of chunks left.

Amy peered over Beca's shoulder and reacted appropriately for someone who was an Australian wildlife presenter, "Oh relax short-stack, it's only a bit of puke."

"Right…well, Amy…do me a favour? Hold onto _this mess_ while I finish cleaning up please?" And Beca stood up straight, relieved to feel the weight of her girlfriend shift over to Fat Amy as the Australian had no choice but to hold Chloe up, the redhead having staggered over to her obediently. Once Beca was sure that the sink was clean and she had washed her hands thoroughly she turned to Amy, motioning to Chloe as she thanked her for her assistance.

"No worries," the blonde said, pushing Chloe back to Beca, and Beca winced as she felt the weight of Chloe leaning against her again. Had she gotten heavier?! "I think we're all heading back now anyway."the Australian drawled, not entirely steady on her feet herself. The three women left the bathroom and Beca couldn't quite understand how Chloe was worse at walking since throwing up. They approached the booth to find it empty.

..

"I'm not going to be sick! I'm fine! Watch!" Aubrey looked dubiously to her left as the redhead, who had just slowly slid to the edge of the booth seat they were sat on, stood up suddenly. Aubrey found herself quickly diving to her right, over Staci who was sat beside her, fearing that Chloe was about to topple backwards onto her. But fortunately Beca had seemed alert enough to reach out and grab Chloe's wrists to steady her.

"Becaaa! You saved me!" The redhead squealed, putting an arm around the petite brunette's shoulders. Aubrey watched the couple walk off to the bathroom. Well, more like Beca struggle to guide Chloe to the bathroom. She suddenly became aware that in her haste to get out of the way of Chloe's impending fall, she had leant firmly into Staci and her right hand still lay in the young woman's lap. Aubrey didn't draw attention to it though as none of The Bella's had appeared to notice, and thanks to the two beers she'd consumed (she was lagging behind the others) she was feeling confident enough to leave her hand there. Particularly as Staci had taken her right hand in her own and was now stroking a thumb across her skin under the booth table. Fat Amy was too busy wolf-whistling to Beca and Chloe who had almost disappeared from sight to notice anything.

"Poor Beca" Cynthia-Rose said with a shake of her head.

"Yeah, I give Chloe two minutes maximum before she chunders everywhere." The Australian said before taking a big gulp of her beer. The Bella's swayed slightly, grimacing at the thought of what Beca was probably going to have to go through. "Still, this has been an eventful tour. Who'd have thought we'd _finally_ get to see Bhloe officially together?"

"Some of us have _heard_ more than we ever wanted to…" Ashley said with another grimace, to which all but Jessica laughed.

It had been no secret over the past three and a half weeks that Beca and Chloe were an item, despite the couple trying to play it as cool as possible around The Bella's. Neither of them had announced it, nor had they been in the slightest bit couple-y in public. Well no more than they had been before their first date. At least, that's what they thought. The Bella's weren't stupid though. They noticed moments when they were all in a group and realised Beca and Chloe had disappeared. Whether it was on the underground in London, on shopping trips, backstage before getting ready for their performances… It had been the poor luck of Jessica and Ashley who had shared the hotel room next door to Beca and Chloe's hotel room in London a couple of weeks back. Both had had to buy earplugs to wear overnight, hating just how thin the walls appeared to be as Beca and Chloe made the most of the honeymoon period they were in.

"Yeah well some of us have _seen_ more than we ever wanted to!" Staci quickly retorted. Aubrey cleared her throat slightly, taking a long sip of beer. It had also been the poor luck of Staci who had walked in on Beca and Chloe in a compromising position before The Bella's first show in Paris last week. Though it had been more of a shock for Aubrey who had appeared behind Staci moments later, neither woman expecting to find anyone in the storage cupboard that _they_ had intended on hiding out in.

_Aubrey stood in the large dressing room that all The Bella's were sharing, preparing for their first show in Paris. She was scrolling through their official Instagram page, checking that the photos each Bella seemed to be posting was appropriate enough for public consumption. That it wouldn't taint the Bella's reputation._

_She was hovering over a photo that had been posted yesterday, probably by Fat Amy. It was a photo from their flight yesterday morning, of Chloe snoozing on Beca's left shoulder, while Beca leant her head against Chloe's, also snoozing. The redhead had her arms wrapped around Beca's left arm, her right hand fingers entwined with Beca's left hand fingers. The caption of the photo read 'Paris-bound #cityoflove'. Aubrey rolled her eyes, she knew the couple wouldn't have seen the photo, neither wanting to really be a part of the mass-social media surge that Aubrey had insisted The Bella's take part in to promote the group while on tour. She had to admit though, it was a really nice photo!_

_Suddenly her phone buzzed and her heart leapt into her throat as she read Staci's name: **Storage cupboard. Two mins xx**_

_Aubrey's heart began to race with excitement as she glanced over her shoulder and saw Staci walking with purpose out of the room, not looking to see if the blonde was watching her, knowing better than to draw the attention of the rest of The Bella's who were in the room. They'd been bad enough about Beca and Chloe. It would ruin everything if they began talking about them too. Because that was the thing about Aubrey and Staci. They were under a strict, unspoken agreement that this thing that was going on between them at the moment, that had been going on for almost three weeks now, would just be staying on tour. Come their final date of the tour next week they would part ways. Probably never to see each other again. And Staci seemed alright with that. And Aubrey told herself that she was alright with that. And so the two women had been more than happy to ride out the sexual tension throughout the daytimes, and find somewhere to heavily make out in the evenings._

_After what Aubrey believed to be two minutes, though in reality it was less than a minute, she casually sauntered out of the dressing room and down a long corridor towards the storage cupboard that she and Staci had scouted out when The Bella's had visited the venue this morning. She looked over her shoulder, pleased to see nobody was there to see them, and smiled as she dashed over to the tall brunette who appeared to be stood in the doorway. Aubrey brought a hand out, smoothing it over Staci's back. But the woman had remained frozen to the spot, looking into the cupboard, and the blonde followed her gaze._

_Her stomach plummeted as she saw Chloe being pushed up against the back wall of the small cupboard by Beca, who had her hand down the front of Chloe's jeans while they kissed each other ferociously on the lips. A low moan sounded from Chloe as Beca trailed kisses down from her mouth to suck and kiss the redhead's neck, both breathing heavily. Aubrey could now understand how Chloe had so many love-bites. Beca not only appeared to suck with reckless abandon but Chloe appeared to thrive off the sensation she felt when Beca gave them to her. Aubrey could also understand why Staci was frozen to the spot. This had definitely not been expected._

_Aubrey felt her stomach lurch as Chloe fluttered her eyelids open and, upon seeing the two women staring at her in shock from the doorway, pushed Beca from her neck with a short squeal. The petite brunette had appeared confused at her girlfriend's actions but soon realised why Chloe was acting the way she was. "Shit!" Beca muttered under her breath, quickly pulling her hand out from inside Chloe's jeans and standing up straight._

_"We'll…leave you guys to finish up…" Staci said awkwardly, closing the door whilst stepping backwards into Aubrey who had been peering at the couple from just behind her. The two 'intruders' walked back up the corridor to the dressing room. Aubrey felt too shocked at what she'd just seen to feel disappointed that her and Staci's prospective hiding place was already occupied. For some reason it hadn't crossed her mind that Beca and Chloe were having a sexual relationship. Which, based on what Jessica and Ashley had told The Bella's about the noises they had heard from their hotel room in London, was entirely stupid of her. Of course they were having a sexual relationship._

_Before meeting Beca, Chloe had been so sexually active that Aubrey had often wondered how they'd ever become best friends, their opinions of how best to spend a night out differing immensely. Aubrey had always maintained back then that a few drinks and perhaps a bit of dancing was the best way. Chloe had always maintained that partying hard, kissing as many guys as possible, then ending the night with a one night stand was the best way. Then Beca fell into their lives. And Chloe had spent the remaining three years of her college life practically sex-free, as though fearing that she would essentially be cheating on Beca, even though they weren't together in the slightest_.

"I'm going to get some fresh air." Aubrey announced, feeling flushed as she'd thought back on walking in on Beca and Chloe last week. Her head swam slightly as she slid away from Staci and over to the end of the booth seat, hearing Staci mutter that she'd join her. As far as Aubrey was concerned none of The Bella's had picked up on the fact that she and Staci were having a fling, and it was probably thanks to Beca and Chloe. She swerved around the people within the bar before yanking the bar door open and stepping outside into the chilly air.

Aubrey didn't stop walking, deciding to make her way down to the end of the building. She turned a sharp left to stand at the top of an alleyway, confident that she was out of sight. Confident that Staci was following her. And sure enough, the tall model appeared before her. Neither woman paused to talk or even look at each other, the beer and fresh air taking charge of their actions as their lips crashed against each other. Staci pushed Aubrey against the brick wall behind her, and despite the cold Aubrey boldly reached under Staci's shirt to pull down her bra and release one of her breasts to fondle.

If someone had told Aubrey even as soon as four weeks ago that by the end of this European Tour she would be involved in a passionate fling with a _woman_ she would have yelled very angrily at them and sent them away. But here she was, being pushed up against a wall, down an alleyway by Staci, one of her hands fondling Staci's breasts while the other was reached around, gripping onto one of Staci's ass cheeks. She tried to pull the tall brunette closer to her but there really wasn't much more space to fill without them taking their clothes off. And other than the odd blouse removal neither woman had been naked in front of the other.

They didn't talk. They never normally did. There were never any whispers of sweet nothings in each other's ears. No compliments. No mention about what they were doing at the present time. And absolutely no mention of the future. Of what would happen once they finished this tour. Because there was no future for them.

Aubrey wasn't sure how long they had been out there for, but soon she could hear The Bella's laughing loudly as they stumbled out of the bar together. The two women broke their kiss. Aubrey pulled her hand from Staci's top, wiping her face in the hope that her lipstick wasn't _too_ smudged. Hoping that it wasn't _too_ noticeable. She froze as Staci took her hands. This didn't happen. The moment they finished any make-out session, Staci would immediately walk off. But the tall model remained pressed against Aubrey's body, gripping her hands firmly by their sides.

The blonde looked up and into Staci's green eyes and her breath caught in her throat, her heart racing. This was the most intimate moment the two had ever shared, and it terrified her. Terrified her because she feared she may actually be falling for this girl. Something that they had sworn they wouldn't do. This was a fling. What happens on tour stays on tour. They lived on opposite sides of the country to one another. They wouldn't even be able to use the excuse of 'booty calls' because they wouldn't live anywhere near each other to warrant the journey just for a make out session. Aubrey saw Staci bite her lip, as though trying to prevent herself from saying something. And she said nothing, instead giving Aubrey a seductive wink, before stepping away from her and walking out of the alleyway to join The Bella's. Aubrey gulped. What would her father think?


	15. The Almond Croissant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Beca & Chloe unknowingly become a part of The Barden Bella's next Instagram Live Story...]

Fat Amy was the first to stagger through the door of the apartment that The Bella's were renting in the centre of Prague. She pulled Chloe through the door by the hand, gripping it tight as the limp body of the redhead allowed herself to be part-dragged along by the Australian, and part-carried by her girlfriend, who had an arm around her waist while Chloe had her left arm slung around Beca's shoulder. The redhead giggled loudly as the two women supporting her groaned at how heavy and difficult she'd become since leaving the bar. Behind them staggered the rest of The Bella's. Each one appeared exhausted and drunk. Amy, Chloe, and Beca had left the bar and bumped into all The Bella's on their way back to the apartment. A good job really as Aubrey was the only one with the key.

Beca struggled as she supported Chloe over to the kitchen sink, wanting to keep her there so she could get her to drink some water. Chloe was the worst when it came to drinking water after a night out, but Beca knew if the redhead didn't get any water in her soon it would be a long flight home for them tomorrow…or…later today. Chloe groaned as she held her head over the sink, pushing her hair up from her face. "Chlo, I'm gonna need you to drink some water…" Beca said firmly, smoothing her hand over the woman's back as she reached out with her other hand to try to open a cupboard and pull out a glass. "Guys, a little help here please?" The brunette said loudly as she quickly wrapped her arm back around Chloe, who almost collapsed to her right.

Jessica and Ashley had joined Flo on the floor of the open-plan kitchen/lounge, leaning against the wall, all with drunken grins on their faces as they watched the spectacle in front of them. Lily was already curled in the foetal position, having somehow got into the apartment long before The Bella's had arrived back, and was now snoozing on the floor under the armchair. Cynthia-Rose was sat at the long kitchen table, sleepily spinning a coin on the surface between her fingers. And Amy had been laid back on the long sofa, though she was now standing up with a heavy sigh, making her way over to the kitchen area to help Beca. None of the women in the room had noticed that Aubrey and Staci had disappeared. None of them had really seen them walk in the door of the apartment behind them and dash upstairs.

Beca was relieved to see Amy approach her and the brunette began handing her girlfriend over to the Australian, "Chloe I just need you to stand with Amy for a minute while I-"

"Nooooo!" The redhead whined loudly, trying to struggle out of Fat Amy's arms, "I want to stand with you! Beca I love yooou! Don't leave meeeee!"

"- _relax_ , I'm just getting you a glass of water!"

Beca grabbed a glass from the cupboard, smiling slightly at how ridiculous her girlfriend was sounding. If sober-Chloe could see herself right now she'd be very embarrassed. She chuckled, "I'm not leaving you, you weirdo. I'm right here!" She said with a grin as she held out the glass of water to Chloe who stopped struggling for a moment and took the glass with a drunken smile.

" _Yeah_ you are" the redhead tried to say seductively, giving her a wink and taking a gulp of water before reaching out with her free hand and grabbing the front of Beca's jacket. Beca forgot to breathe as Chloe pulled her forcefully towards her, kissing her hard on the lips. Fat Amy moved away from the couple and loud whoops echoed around the apartment as the rest of The Bella's cheered at Beca and Chloe's embrace. But the kiss was short-lived.

Beca quickly pulled away and wiped her face, grimacing slightly as she remembered Chloe had thrown up not much longer than an hour ago. Chloe merely giggled, taking another large gulp of water then trying to find the worktop to place the glass down on. Beca lunged for the glass to stop it from falling to the ground. No sooner had she moved it to safety Chloe had thrown her arms around Beca's neck and was hugging her tightly, "I love you Beca!" she exclaimed loudly and Beca found herself patting her girlfriend on the back, awkwardly aware that Fat Amy was probably beaming at them from wherever she'd walked off to. Amy had always been their biggest fan, even before they were anything more than friends.

Beca smiled, "I know dude". Of course she knew. She didn't need to hear Chloe say it, even when the redhead was very drunk and Beca was getting more sober by the minute, the longer she needed to take care of Chloe. She had seen it in Chloe's eyes from the first moment they had told each other they had feelings for each other. Those bright blue eyes that had sparkled at her for so many years had finally been given the chance to openly pour out every ounce of Chloe's being and fall into Beca's heart. She had felt it. She knew it. She knew that Chloe loved her. And she loved her too. She maybe always had?

Chloe pushed back on Beca suddenly with a dramatic gasp, keeping her hands on Beca's shoulders, an action that had filled the brunette with dread. What was wrong? "Beca I'm _so sorry_!" the redhead exclaimed, before looking around the room at the other Bella's then resuming her focus on her petite girlfriend, whispering loudly, "We're supposed to be keeping _us_ a secret!" motioning between the two of them with her right hand, then pausing to look down at Beca's lips, "The others can't…can't know that we're…you know… _dating_." Chloe emphasised her loud whisper at the end of her slurred sentence, looking back up to Beca's eyes with a grin and an overemphasised wink.

Beca couldn't help but chuckle as she kept her arms around Chloe's waist to keep the woman upright. She'd had a feeling that The Bella's had known about them for a while. She wasn't sure when, but from the relatively casual reaction of Staci when she'd caught them in the storage cupboard at their Paris venue last week, she figured The Bella's must've talked. This was, however, the first time she and Chloe had kissed in front of them. It was the first time they had spoken about dating in front of them. "Well Chlo, I think the cat's outta the bag now so..." Chloe, having realised what she'd done, threw a hand to her mouth with a dramatic gasp, but Beca chuckled again, "…It's _okay_! They were gonna find out eventually." and she reached up, gently pulling Chloe's hand from her mouth and down to hold against her chest, over her heart. It was the most affectionate thing Beca could ever recall doing in public and, had the alcohol she'd consumed earlier not still been in her system, she would've definitely not done it.

Somehow, in Chloe's drunken state, she had translated this action as permission to tell The Bella's officially. So after a few beats of silence the redhead suddenly threw her arms in the air in victory, turning in Beca's arms to face the women in the lounge with a grin, yelling at the top of her voice, "Beca and I are _dating_ and she's _my_ _girlfriend_ and I'm _her_ girlfriend and I _love_ herrrrr!" The brunette had brought a hand to her face in mild embarrassment at her girlfriend's announcement as The Bella's whooped and cheered again. She kept hold of Chloe with one arm while the redhead swayed, and reached out with her other hand for the glass beside them, "Alright you, come on, have some more water please". Chloe swooped in and kissed Beca quickly one more time on the lips before taking the glass from her girlfriend and this time the brunette just grinned as she kept her arms around Chloe's waist.

What the couple hadn't realised though was that Fat Amy had been accidentally live-streaming Chloe's announcement on The Bella's Instagram account, having thought in her drunken state that she was recording the moment to save to her phone's camera roll so she could show them in the morning. What neither Beca nor Chloe could predict was that both sets of their parents, having had busy days at work, were now settling down in their respective homes to check how The Bella's were getting on on the final night of their tour, via Instagram, despite the girls being 6 hours ahead of them…

...

"Aubrey! Apartment key!" Aubrey heard the Australian yell at her from the front of the group of Bella's. Amy was the unfortunate one having to help Beca try to get Chloe back from the bar and up to the apartment they were all renting. Aubrey was wandering along, several paces behind the group, with Staci strolling by her side. Neither had looked at each other. Neither had touched. Neither had talked. They'd just walked. Aubrey jumped as she felt Staci reach into the back pocket of her jeans and pull the apartment key out. The tall brunette dashed to the front of the group, handing the key to Fat Amy who was too busy tugging at Chloe to keep her upright to notice who had given her the key. Aubrey carried on walking, catching up with Staci who had stopped to let the Bella's walk ahead. And they resumed walking side by side, stopping once they'd reached The Bella's who gathered at the front door of the apartment building while Amy attempted to let them in.

Aubrey froze as she felt her hand being taken gently by Staci. She remained her focus on the back of the heads of The Bella's, but she swallowed loudly as she squeezed the model's hand while they interlaced their fingers. Aubrey's heart was racing so fast she could barely breathe, her mouth tingling with anticipation. She so desperately wanted to kiss Staci again.

The Bella's filed into the entrance hall of the apartment building and began making their way up the two flights of spiralled stairs to their apartment. But Aubrey hesitated, deciding not to descend the stairs just yet, and the moment she saw the last Bella before her and Staci disappear up the spiral staircase, Aubrey tugged the tall brunette towards her. Their lips crashed together hungrily, tongues swirling as Aubrey brought her hands up to Staci's face, cupping her cheeks as Staci reached her long arms down and fondled Aubrey's ass, pulling her body closer to hers. Reluctantly the two parted, and Aubrey allowed Staci to take her hand and quickly lead her up the first flight of the spiral staircase. Once they knew the coast was clear again, they quickly resumed their original position, kissing as quickly and quietly and messily as they had done before. Their hope was to ideally not be locked out of the apartment, so within a matter of moments they were dashing up the stairs again, meeting The Bella's who were patiently waiting to be let in the apartment.

None of The Bella's noticed that Aubrey and Staci were last to walk into the apartment, and Aubrey quietly closed the door behind them. Both women quickly took their heels off. Stifling a small giggle, Aubrey felt Staci grab her hand and tug her towards the small set of stairs that led to the bedrooms. The model dragged the blonde into her bedroom, knowing full well that her roommate, Lily, didn't sleep in the bedroom, preferring to sleep on the floor of the lounge, or on the sofa at a push.

Aubrey stood in the middle of the dark room nervously. Her heart was racing in anticipation. She wanted this. She _really_ wanted this. But at the same time she was absolutely terrified. She'd never been with another woman before. She was the older of the two of them, yes. But from the way Staci acted, from the stories she'd heard about Staci in college, she was certainly the less experienced of the two of them. So she waited with baited breath, trying to calm her nerves, but her body was trembling.

Suddenly she felt Staci take both her hands and they stood like that for at least a minute. This was never how their make-out sessions began. Or even finished. It was so dark that Aubrey could _just_ make out the outline of Staci's figure. But she couldn't see her facial expressions, and she couldn't possibly tell what she was thinking.

"Guys, a little help here please?" Beca's voice sounded out from downstairs, presumably to the rest of The Bella's who were down in the kitchen/lounge with her. But the two women upstairs didn't seem to notice, both focused on each other's heavy breathing. Aubrey felt Staci slowly lean into her, and she felt her lips land on the corner of her mouth, readjusting slightly when she realised she'd just missed the target. And they stood there for a couple of minutes, delicately kissing, their hands entwined with each other's by their sides. They broke apart, their foreheads rested against each other's, sniggering as they heard Chloe yell from downstairs, "Nooooo! I want to stand with you! Beca I love yooou! Don't leave meeeee!" Aubrey couldn't even begin to imagine what was going on downstairs. She knew her best friend was safe. That Beca had probably just stepped two paces away from Chloe but in Chloe's drunk state it had felt like miles away. So she remained her focus on what was happening up here, right now. And what was happening was Staci had begun gently rubbing the tip of her nose against hers.

Aubrey's heart was still hammering against her chest as Staci brought her lips to hers again, and as their mouths met, loud whoops were heard from The Bella's downstairs. Aubrey and Staci immediately broke their kiss, letting out quiet giggles, knowing full well that the whoops had not been directed at them but that the timing had been almost perfect. "I love you Beca!" Aubrey heard her best friend yell downstairs and the two women upstairs grinned.

"See, absolutely made for each other." Staci whispered. Aubrey didn't want to think for a moment that the brunette may be talking about the two of them for fear that she got her hopes up. So she brought her lips back to Staci's and this time their kiss deepened. Aubrey felt the brunette run her tongue across her bottom lip and she gladly opened her mouth to invite Staci's tongue. This motion made Aubrey produce a light moan from the back of her throat which appeared to give Staci a new burst of confidence, and the tall brunette released her hands. Staci began running her hands up and down Aubrey's back as she pulled their bodies closer together. The blonde let out another light moan as Staci's hands ran over her ass, producing a warm sensation between her legs.

Suddenly Staci broke their kiss and Aubrey froze, slightly breathless, as she felt her hands being taken again. "Everything okay?" She heard Staci whisper.

"Y-yes…why?" Aubrey stuttered. This was the first time Staci had asked her if things were okay during a make-out session. But Aubrey knew deep down this wasn't just going to be any old make-out session. This would be the final time they ever got to spend time together intimately. And it was likely the time they would spend the night together for the first time. And the last.

"Oh, it's just…you weren't moving. Like…at all."

Aubrey immediately felt guilty. Thinking back it occurred to her that Staci was right, she'd just stood in the one place but not only that she hadn't moved her hands, nor her face. Nothing. She'd just stood there frozen to the spot. But there was a perfectly good explanation for that.

"I…I'm just nervous…that's all." Aubrey quietly admitted.

"We don't have to do anything you don't want to do, you know."

"Oh I know…I do though…I really want to do it. It's just…I've never…been with another woman before so…I don't really know how this works." Aubrey felt like an utter fool for revealing her deepest insecurity at this current moment in time. It was so dark that she couldn't tell what Staci's expression was like but she hoped it was soft, and kind, and that she was smiling but in a nice way and not in a ' _what an idiot_ ' kind of way.

"Well…we'll just take things nice and slow," Staci said quietly, squeezing Aubrey's hands in reassurance, "anything you're not comfortable with just say. Anything you find enjoyable...just say."

Good. Great. That was pretty straight forward and not awkward at all. Well…not _entirely_ awkward. "Okay" she whispered, and she felt Staci gently bring her lips back down to hers. The kiss this time was quiet, tender, and more meaningful than any others they had shared before. Staci was kissing her almost like she were a china doll that could crack at any moment. And Aubrey suddenly felt a little less anxious. It didn't matter that she didn't know what she was doing. She'd had sex with three different men in her life so it wasn't like she was a virgin. How different could having sex with a woman be?

Oh how she was about to find out.

…

Beca woke up suddenly with a jump as she heard what sounded like a teaspoon falling on the floor with a clatter. With a furrowed brow she opened her eyes, but the daylight that was sifting through the windows of the Prague apartment almost blinded her and so she clenched them shut again. She groaned, her head feeling heavy, her head throbbing slightly. That was the last time she was going to drink. _Ever_. And Chloe? God that girl was going to be in ruins today!

Beca brought a hand up with a sigh, rubbing her eyes as she thought back to last night. Or should she say the early hours of this morning. She remembered most of it she thought. She remembered Chloe being sick in the bathroom sink in the bar. She couldn't remember getting her to the bathroom, nor could she remember getting her out of there. But she could remember trying to get her back to the apartment. She remembered at one point Chloe becoming a dead-weight, slumping into a heap on the sidewalk, muttering for Beca to just leave her there until the morning. Something that Beca wasn't going to do, even though the petite brunette was far from strong enough to lift her. If it hadn't been for Fat Amy she would've never got her back to the apartment, the Australian pulling the redhead to her feet and essentially dragging Chloe along like a zombie with Beca supporting Chloe's body as they staggered.

Beca's memory was pretty foggy from then on. She remembered trying to get Chloe to drink some water. Then she remembered getting Chloe to the sofa, in which the redhead _insisted_ she be spooned by her girlfriend. Beca groaned again. It was official. The Bella's knew. They knew that she and Chloe were in a relationship. Chloe had called her her girlfriend in front of them. And Beca had happily settled down to spoon her on the sofa as they both passed out, a bucket having been placed on the floor beside Chloe's head for fear she may be sick again overnight. But that was the extent of Beca's memory. The last thing she remembered was having her arm around Chloe as she breathed heavily beside her on the sofa. But Chloe was no longer laying beside her.

Beca heard footsteps shuffle towards her from the kitchen and once again she opened her eyes, adjusting to the light a little more comfortably now that she had woken. To her surprise she was met by a pair of sparkly blue eyes as her girlfriend beamed at her, holding a tray with what looked like a mug of coffee and two croissants on it. Beca wanted to throw up there and then. Not because of the food. Not because she was hungover. But because she couldn't believe that Chloe was looking so well for someone who had been sat drunk on the sidewalk only a few hours ago!

"Morning!" The redhead sang merrily and Beca groaned, placing a hand over her face, mumbling into the palm, " _How_ are you so cheery?"

"What do you mean?"

Beca reluctantly sat up, slowly, her head swimming slightly as she sighed, "You were in the _worst_ state last night. Like…Chloe, I've _never_ seen you that drunk before. And I've seen you drunk a lot!"

"I wasn't that drunk!" Chloe said sweetly, rolling her eyes slightly as Beca raised her eyebrows, "Oh _relax_ I'm fine now."

"Yeah well I'm not!" Beca responded, slightly annoyed that her girlfriend seemed so fresh and bubbly despite the mess she had been in last night. She groaned again as she sat up properly, bringing her legs around so they hung off the side of the sofa. Before she could say anything more, Chloe placed the tray she had been carrying, on Beca's lap. There was indeed a mug of coffee that Beca took a deep intake of breath to smell, gratefully. And two croissants. One plain, one almond.

Beca smirked, reaching slowly out for the almond croissant. She heard Chloe take a sharp intake of breath and she knew why. Almond croissants were Chloe's absolute favourite pastry. The redhead had clearly been kind enough to put both croissants on the tray, however it had been with the presumption that Beca would have the plain croissant. Beca _loved_ almond croissants. But she loved Chloe more. Damn, it still weirded her out sometimes to think that, but it was true. She _did_ love her more. More than…well, anything! Which was why the brunette looked up at her girlfriend's nervous face and quickly picked up the plain croissant, smiling as she took a bite of it, loving how predictable her best friend was as Chloe's face broke into a smile while she perched next to her on the sofa.

"Ugh I _love_ almond croissants." The redhead muttered happily as she took a bite of the almond croissant and Beca grinned, finishing her first mouthful as she watched how happy her girlfriend looked, "I know. And I love you." Beca said in a quiet voice before she realised that she was speaking out loud. She saw Chloe freeze for a moment, processing what had just been said, before turning to look at the brunette, swallowing her mouthful of almond croissant.

Beca could feel her heart racing. But it had been the truth. She did love her. And sure, they'd been together for less than four weeks on a romantic level. But they'd known each other for six years. They'd lived alone together for two of those six years. And for three other years they'd lived in the same house (albeit with seven other women). They knew each other better than they knew anybody else. Beca didn't believe in soul mates, but if she did she knew that Chloe would be hers and that she would be Chloe's. A soft smile had grown on Chloe's face as she said in a low voice, "I love you too." and Beca felt her heart explode with excitement and joy and love and all the things that the Beca of six years ago would have never imagined ever feeling.

The two women resumed eating their croissants in silence, coy grins on their faces as they glanced at each other from time to time. Beca looked at the clock that hung on the wall opposite them. Four hours until their flight back to New York. Back home. Back to reality. But a new reality. With Chloe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we have it! The final chapter charting the girls while they're on tour!
> 
> The following (few?) chapters will act as an epilogue.
> 
> They will be drabbles and one-shots from the months (and years?) following the happenings of this tour... And I'm excited to write the ideas that I have so far!
> 
> As always thank you so much for the comments! Keep 'em coming xx


	16. Epilogue I - The Gentle Nudge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Returning home from the tour..]

The Brooklyn apartment was silent as the two women trudged through the door. Chloe let out a loud yawn, despite having snoozed for most of the flight from Prague to JFK, as she closed the front door behind herself and Beca. She heard her best friend mumble about how good it was to be home as they abandoned their suitcases in the tiny hallway and made their way through to the small lounge. And even though it _was_ good to be home, Chloe couldn't help noticing how slightly odd it felt.

They had left this apartment six weeks ago as best friends. Housemate's. But they now returned to it as partners. Other halves. _Girlfriends_. Beca was now her girlfriend, and she was now hers. They had a whole new bond unlike any level their relationship had had over the past six years they'd known each other. Yet, despite this fact, Beca still collapsed onto the small sofa and Chloe still collapsed onto it beside her, bringing her legs up onto the brunette's lap as they always had done before going away.

Chloe reached for the TV remote that lay on the floor beside her, turning on Netflix, relieved to know that they had no more commitments over the next couple of days. They had time to reset their body clocks. Which unfortunately meant they had to try to stay awake for the next seven hours until it was a more reasonable time to go to sleep. The redhead glanced over at Beca and noticed her girlfriend had already failed, her head resting on her hand as her eyes remained shut.

Chloe bit her bottom lip cheekily, bringing one of her feet up and nudging Beca's arm so her head fell out of her hand heavily. The brunette immediately woke, grunting slightly before frowning at her. "Becs you've gotta stay awake. You've got work The day after tomorrow." The redhead said in a soft tone.

"But I'm tiiired!" The woman complained with a pout.

Chloe wanted to cave right there and then. But she was doing this for her own good. They had to stay strong, "I'm tired too but we'll feel so much better tomorrow when our body clocks are back to normal."

Beca had closed her eyes again, though this time she kept her hands on Chloe's feet, squeezing them slightly as she mumbled, "It's alright for you. You get to go to your parents lake house in a couple of days. You can sleep whenever you want."

Chloe let out a small giggle, moving slightly to poke Beca affectionately in the stomach with her big toe, "Exactly, and yet I _still_ choose to keep myself awake to support you in getting your body clock ready for work"

Chloe was secretly gutted that Beca's boss wasn't letting her have any more time off. Not even a few days. Which was crazy because it hadn't been like Beca had been on holiday! But she hadn't revealed to Beca her disappointment, and she had let her parents know last week, when they had asked, that Beca wouldn't be coming to the lake house with her once they returned from their European Tour. At the time she hadn't noticed the look of disappointment on her parents faces, suddenly distracted by how well her broken nail had been recovering.

She rolled her eyes as Beca began adjusting her position on the small sofa, "What if I curl up with you like this while I sleep?" The brunette suggested quietly, as she made to lay her head on Chloe's stomach, pulling the redhead's legs in between her own, as though straddling Chloe's side. It was very rare for Beca to be the 'small spoon' in any given situation. Whether it was curled up on the sofa or laying together for a nap, or at night. Chloe always curled into Beca as she was the more cuddlier of the two of them.

Chloe giggled again, "You can curl up all you want, just don't fall asleep!"

"Mmmhmm" was all that sounded from Beca, as she rested her arm over Chloe's stomach, her head becoming noticeably heavy. Chloe sighed as she brought her hand up and began gently stroking her girlfriends hair, "If you _really_ don't want me to fall asleep you're gonna have to stop that…" the brunette mumbled. But Chloe didn't stop until her own eyes felt heavy.

Five hours later and Chloe jumped out of her deep sleep. She sighed heavily, noticing that the daylight has dimmed dramatically, caking the lounge in darkness save for the light from the TV screen. Her arm had gone dead under the weight of Beca's body and she peered over to see that the rest of the TV show they had been 'watching' on Netflix had finished. Damn Netflix and their 'continuous episodes' option.

Chloe was internally kicking herself, having gone against her original plan and succumbed to sleep. It was too late to do anything about it now. So with another heavy sigh Chloe nudged Beca awake. The brunette jumped, bringing her hand from Chloe's stomach and wiping the drool that had been hanging from her mouth and pooling on the redheads shirt. She seemed confused by the lack of daylight in the room, but in her sleepy state chose not to question it.

Chloe reluctantly stood up from the sofa, and took Beca's hand to help her up. She then led the brunette out of their lounge, past the entrance to their kitchen, and down to the back of their apartment where their rooms and the bathroom stood. With no words spoken the two women walked past Beca's open bedroom door without any hesitation, knowing that Chloe's bedroom would be the tidiest room by far to collapse in. And they weren't wrong.

Chloe let go of Beca's hand as they stepped into her bedroom, and she shuffled around to the left-side of the double bed. The side she had been sleeping on when they had been sharing a double bed throughout the final three weeks of their European Tour. When she had finally pulled her trainers from her feet she scrambled into bed, pleased to see that Beca was already under the heavy covers. With one final long exhausted sigh Chloe curled up into Beca's body, draping her left arm around the brunette's waist as she felt the woman wrap both her arms around her shoulders and lightly place a kiss on the top of her head. Within a matter of moments the apartment fell silent again except for the sounds of heavy breathing coming from Beca and Chloe, who had fallen asleep in each other's arms, pleased to finally be back home.


	17. Epilogue II - The Small Note

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Chloe goes home-home to see her parents]

Chloe grinned in anticipation, tugging her suitcase behind her as she approached the departure lounge of Columbia Metropolitan Airport. The four hour flight hadn't nearly been as exhausting as she feared it would be and she put her initial anxiety about it down to the lengthy flight she had had to endure just before the weekend. Now it was Monday. A fresh week. And her feet couldn't carry her quick enough to her end destination. To the departure lounge where her parents would be waiting for her.

She didn't have to look for long. There her parents stood holding a big banner out between them that said 'Chloe Beale' in huge letters. Chloe could feel herself going red in the face with embarrassment. It would have definitely been her father's idea, but one her mother would have embraced with open arms. Speaking of which Chloe stopped, watching with glee as her mother dropped the banner the moment she saw her and dashed over to pull her into a tight hug. Chloe had dropped everything, happily melting into her mother's embrace. No matter how old she got, no matter how busy life got, nothing compared to her mother's hugs. "Oh sweetheart its so good to finally see you! How was Europe? Was it cold?"

Chloe giggled as her father arrived by their side telling his wife to let go of their daughter for fear of her suffocating. "Hey twinkle. Good flight?" The man asked with a warm smile as he pulled the young woman into a more modest hug.

"Great flight thanks Dad" Chloe said with a grin. She stepped back to look at them both, her smile dropping slightly as they looked around her for a moment, "Um is everything okay?"

"Yes absolutely!" Sue Beale immediately said, before looking at her husband, motioning to the luggage their daughter had brought with her.

Chloe's Dad took her suitcase with a smile while her mother wrapped an arm around her shoulders and the three Beale's began making their way out of the airport and towards the carpark. Chloe couldn't describe how happy she was to be back with her parents. They truly were the greatest people in her life. Forever supportive. Forever loving. They were the people she could be around and always be unapologetically herself.

Chloe clambered into the back of her parents's car to get ready for the hours drive down to the family lake house that Chloe's father had inherited from his father who had inherited from his father before that.

"So…no Beca?" Jerry Beale asked as he drove the family out of the airport. Chloe was busy looking in her handbag for her phone. She'd sent Beca a text the moment she had landed and wondered if she'd replied.

"Erm…no, work wouldn't let her have any more time off…" The redhead said, distracted as she rustled about in her handbag. She found her phone and saw on the screen that she had had no response yet. She checked her watch. It was 1pm. Beca would probably be in a meeting. She paused, looking up at her dads eyes that were reflected in the rear-view mirror as he concentrated on the road, processing what he'd just said, "And you _know_ that because I told you last week!" She decided to place her phone in the front pocket of her handbag for safe keeping.

"Well…that _was_ a week ago. A lot can happen in a week..."

Chloe didn't notice the tone of her father's voice, nor did she notice her mother reach out and give him a playful slap on the knee, as a way of telling him off for trying to bring up the topic of Friday's Instagram Live video that had streamed from The Bella's Instagram account. Chloe didn't notice because her fingertips had wrapped around a small piece of paper in the front pocket of her handbag beside her phone. Furrowing her brow she pulled out the paper and unfolded it. Her heart began pumping fast and a huge smile grew on her face as she recognised Beca's writing. It wasn't as neat as hers, but Chloe could tell her girlfriend had tried really hard to make it as neat as possible. It had a couple of sets of musical quavers scribbled in the corners of the paper. Then in the middle were the words " **You make my heart feel like it's summer, when the rain is pouring down".**

Chloe stared at the words, reading them over and over again, her mouth open in shock.

For the past two years she'd been living with Beca she had been sure to leave notes in her housemate's satchel before she went to work most days. Sometimes they had inspirational quotes on, or a doodle, or a simple 'Good luck!' or 'Don't forget I'm out this evening so eat something hot for lunch!'. But with this one note. The _first_ note Beca had _ever_ left for Chloe. Well it had blown all of Chloe's notes out of the water. Because these words were clearly lyrics. Lyrics that had reminded Beca of Chloe when she had heard them. Reminded her enough to write it as neatly as possible on a note for Chloe to find while they were apart. And Chloe's heart soared.

"Your brothers are arriving on Wednesday sweetheart" Chloe jumped at the sound of her mother's voice and quickly placed the note back in her handbag as she caught her mother looking at her with a soft smile. Chloe cleared her throat, trying not to blush, and nodded with a smile, "That's great. I've missed them!"

Chloe had three older brothers. Michael, the eldest, was eight years older than Chloe. He had a wife, Claudia, and three children; Eva, Hunter, and Noah. The next brother, Ryan, was six years older than Chloe. He also had a wife, Julie, and one set of twins; Oliver and Jack. The third brother was Johnny, and was four years older than Chloe. He and his fiancée Laura had been together since meeting in their freshman year of college, and had two children; Samuel and Ellie.

Being the only girl of Jerry and Sue Beale had been a perk growing up, as Chloe had essentially been spoilt rotten by her parents and grandparents alike. Her older brothers had paved the way for her in high school, the Beale name being one that represented wealth and high-status in their neighbourhood, so Chloe really hadn't had to try to be popular, it had just happened naturally. Which meant college had been a huge eye-opener for her, having to try to make a name for herself on her own. She'd managed to make it to her senior year, not ready in the slightest to go out into the big wide world. Something she'd objected to doing even more once she had met Beca, the thought of leaving her being too much to bear. So she had made the effort to fail Russian Lit. Three times.

"Well they'll be keen to see you and hear about your trip to Europe!" Jerry said, chuckling as his wife gave him a stern look, but Chloe had begun staring out of the window, smiling dreamily as she thought about the note that her girlfriend had taken the time to write her. It was going to be a very long six days without her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huh...Beca the romantic?? Who'd have thought!


	18. Epilogue III - The Lyrics

Beca let out a yawn as she pushed her keys into the front door of her Brooklyn apartment. It had been a _long_ Monday back at work and she was back later than normal, which she didn't mind so much because her housemate was away. Her _girlfriend_. Returning home to an empty apartment had hardly been appealing.

The woman stepped into the apartment and closed the door behind her, leaning against it. All around her was pitch black except the light from the street lamps outside the apartment windows and she regretted not turning a lamp on before she left for work this morning. She strained her ears but couldn't hear anything other than the odd hum of a car outside. There was no sound of the TV muttering from the lounge. There was no clattering coming from the kitchen. No singing coming from her housemate who so often had a playlist blaring away while she cooked, or cleaned, or tried to work out a new dance routine for the kids she volunteered for at the little theatre school down the road. Nothing. And suddenly Beca felt very lonely. This was the first night since Christmas that Chloe had been away from her and the apartment.

She stumbled through to the kitchen, wondering quickly why she hadn't thought to turn a light on but committing to carrying on regardless, and before long she had reached the fridge. She pulled a beer from one of the shelves, closed the door, and reached up to the top of the fridge to grab a bag of chips. She was pleased they'd chosen this apartment with the slightly shorter fridge. She smirked as she remembered that Chloe had thought that by putting the chips up there Beca was less tempted to eat them, the brunette being renowned for her laziness. But when chips were involved Beca always found a way!

Beca shuffled through to the lounge and turned the lamp on, half hoping that Chloe would be sat in there to surprise her. But she wasn't and Beca thought how stupid it was of her to think that, because she had received a text from Chloe almost nine hours ago saying she'd landed at Columbia. And Beca had immediately texted back saying that she hoped the strangers on the flight with her were better company than she had been. But since then she had had no text back, which Beca didn't mind so much, because Chloe was with her parents and _should_ pour all her attention on them.

But Beca did mind a little bit. And that was only because she missed her so much. Even when it had been busy today trying to catch up with all the decisions her team had made over the past six weeks without her. Even when they had informed her that their boss was rolling into the city tomorrow and was keen to have a meeting with her. She still thought about Chloe. About how much she missed dashing out on a mid-morning break to meet her for coffee. About how much she craved a kiss from her. And how almost every demo they had reviewed today at work had lyrics that reminded her of how she felt about Chloe.

Beca pulled her phone out of her pocket, frowning slightly again when there was still no response. It was very unlike Chloe. So with a rather long swig of beer Beca opened up WhatsApp and her heart jumped as she realised the message that she had last 'sent' to her girlfriend had failed. She hovered her finger over the ' _resend?'_ option but after rereading the text she realised that, though it had been appropriate nine hours ago, it didn't apply to anything anymore and almost came off as cold hearted. So instead she texted a simple " **Miss you x** " to Chloe. Her heart began to race as she noticed Chloe had quickly seen it and almost immediately responded with an " **Miss you more xxx** "

Before Beca knew what she was doing she was walking out of the little lounge ringing her girlfriend, whilst wandering to the back of the apartment, past her bedroom, and into Chloe's. The two of them had been sleeping in that room over the weekend, using Beca's room as more of a walk-in closet. Beca had no intention of not sleeping in Chloe's bed while the redhead was away. She missed her too much. Plus her bedroom was tidier.

"Hey" she heard her girlfriend say airily down the phone with an excited tinge to her voice, and she could hear her begin to dash up a set of stairs. Beca's heart raced at the sound of her voice. She hadn't realised just how badly she missed her until now, something her eighteen year old self would've kicked her for feeling. But she didn't care. She heard Chloe's Mom call after her, something about saying 'hello' to Beca from them, something that elicited a small giggle from the redhead as Beca acknowledged the greeting from Mama Beale.

"Hey, sorry I know you're with your folks but…"

"No don't apologise!" The redhead quickly dismissed, "I _miss_ you! And I bet work was really busy today."

"Ugh _so_ busy." Beca said with a sigh as she sat in the middle of their bed and crossed her legs, having turned the fairy lights on that lit up the room, "My team have been absolute heroes over the past few weeks though and even kept up that organiser you devised for them to use while I was away. Good shout Beale." Beca had spent a good couple of weeks before the tour worrying about whether her team would remain organised whilst she was gone, the brunette having always struggled when it came to relinquishing control in her job. So Chloe had used her spare time to rattle through Beca's files and work out a colour-coded system within one file that should in theory have kept the team informed and organised over the six weeks that Beca would be away in Europe. It had worked. And Beca had been pleasantly surprised when she had returned to the office that morning and found the file fit to burst. No crazy long emails to scroll back on. No people to chase up. Just a massive file with a sprinkling of Chloe's favourite post-it notes and a lot of paperwork giving her an outline of what had gone on at Residual Heat NY over the past six weeks.

"I aim to please." She heard her girlfriend chirp, and from what she could hear, Chloe shut herself in her bedroom to talk privately. Beca felt a tiny lurch in her stomach as she wondered just how long Chloe may have been waiting for her to text. She had to explain. To apologise.

"Look I've got a confession to make…" Beca began, pausing to take another swig of beer, "I texted you pretty much immediately after you told me you landed but…it didn't send."

There was a pause as Chloe appeared to process what Beca was saying, before replying, "Oh…no that's alright-"

"No it's not," Beca quickly interjected, and she began to ramble, desperate to make sure that Chloe knew exactly how sorry she was, "it's not alright because it's been driving me crazy all day not speaking to you but I got that you were with your family and that's why you'd not replied and then when I finally caved and checked my phone tonight..and...it turns out it was all my fault so..I'm sorry!" To her relief she heard her girlfriend let out a bemused giggle.

"Beca, its _okay_! I just figured you were really busy at work and I know how late things can run when you're in the zone."

Beca bit her bottom lip for a moment, hardly able to believe how kind her girlfriend was, before quietly saying, "Right, well…you _do_ know that I love you right?"

"Of course I do, idiot." The redhead said with another giggle and Beca sat back on their bed, holding her phone as hard against her ear as her head could stand, wanting to hear Chloe's giggle forever. She smiled as the redhead continued, "Oh, thank you for my note by the way."

Beca had forgotten about the notes she had written yesterday and left for her girlfriend. She thought it was only fair seeing as Chloe had been leaving notes for her for the two years they'd been living together, "Oh…yeah that's alright. Glad you liked them."

"Them? The lyrics?"

"Well yeah the lyrics... and the notes?"

"There's more than one?" Chloe said, her pitch getting a little higher as she realised she'd missed a note.

"Well yeah, I snuck one in your handbag and one in your suitcase…" Beca paused, her brow furrowed in curiosity as she heard Chloe rummaging. Though where she couldn't be sure. So while she waited for Chloe's response she finally opened the bag of chips and threw one into her mouth. She hadn't realised how hungry she was. That was the thing, she got lazy at feeding herself properly if Chloe wasn't about to share dinner with. Suddenly she heard a gasp and an "Oh Beca…" which indicated to her that Chloe must've only found one of her notes earlier, and had just found the other. Which Beca suddenly felt awkward about. Not because of the words, nor the note, but the fact that she'd never intended to hear Chloe's reaction to the notes when she found them.

She picked at the label of her beer bottle nervously, "Alright don't…don't make it weird. I just…this song was a demo sent to me a couple of months back and it was kinda everything I wanted to tell you but couldn't because…we werent…together."

_Beca sighed in frustration and screwed up yet another small piece of paper, throwing it near her waste paper basket with a pile of other scrunched up pieces of paper. She had managed to finally find a spare thirty minutes where Chloe wasn't around, and she could write the two little notes that she planned on leaving for Chloe in her luggage to find when she was out at her parents lake house. The problem was Beca wasn't one for writing neatly. So not only was she struggling to write as pretty as possible for the first love note she was ever giving to her girlfriend, but she was also struggling to decipher the lyrics that she had hastily scribbled down a couple of months ago when she had first heard them._

_Beca slowly began to write out the letters again, sat on the floor, against her bed, her tongue poking out slightly as she concentrated. The moment she wrote the final letter she heard Chloe arrive home, calling out her name, and Beca began to panic, hastily drawing a couple of crotchets in the corners of the note, hating them, but committing nonetheless. She scrambled to her feet, chucking the notes and pen underneath her bed cover, and turned just as Chloe stuck her head into her bedroom to ask if she wanted any dinner yet._

Beca thought she heard Chloe elicit a small sniff and she wondered if the redhead may be crying. She knew her well enough to know that she wasn't upset, so Beca chucked another chip in her mouth, crunching it, trying to distract herself from how emotional Chloe seemed about this small gesture. But the moment didn't last for long.

"I hope you're not eating chips in my bed…" Chloe said almost immediately and Beca swallowed loudly.

"Um…"

"You _know_ the rules! Just because I'm not there doesn't mean you should ignore them!" Despite the telling off, Chloe had an obvious smile on her face that sounded in her voice. Beca knew the rules alright. It had been a rule Chloe had had for as long as she had known Chloe. The redhead never allowed food to be eaten in her bed. Nor on her bed. And that had applied to all Bella's when they had shared a house back in college, as well as anyone who stayed at Beca and Chloe's apartment now. The redhead insisted that any food consumed on the bed or in the bed would almost always make crumbs, which in turn would make for an uncomfortable nights sleep.

"You broke those rules like a million times this weekend dude!" Beca wasn't lying. She'd made a big deal of the fact that Chloe had allowed her to bring breakfast to her in bed on Saturday morning. The redhead saying she'd allow it just this once as she smoothed peanut butter on one of the bagels.

"Well it's _my_ bed, I can do whatever I like in it"

"Don't I know…" Beca said flirtatiously as Chloe giggled. And she did know. She knew very well. Because despite the killer jet lag both women had endured over the weekend, they had spent much of the past couple of days in bed together. Having sex, dozing, chatting, Beca doing mixes on her laptop, Chloe looking through all 869 photos she'd taken during their time away with The Bella's, Chloe asking Beca if they could get a puppy one day, Beca saying 'no'… Beca had been very reluctant to get up for work this morning but in an odd way it had been better because Chloe had had to get up to grab an early flight to JFK airport anyway.

"So I make your mind feel free huh?"

"Huh?" Beca furrowed her brow, taking another glug of beer. It was an odd thing even for Chloe to say.

"The lyrics you wrote on this second note, **"when we are together you make me feel like my mind is free and my dreams are reachable"**?"

Beca smiled, loving how good those lyrics sounded being spoken by her girlfriend, but awkward all the same, "Uh…yeah…" she daren't tell Chloe that the song was essentially written by a band as a 'first dance' song for someone's wedding. The lyrics she'd scribbled down had been the two sets of lyrics that had had the least amount of freaky commitment to them. The last impression she wanted to give Chloe was that she was essentially proposing to her long-distance. If she were to propose she'd make it more special than that.

"I miss you." Chloe says quietly.

Beca let out a long sigh as she looked around the bedroom she and Chloe now seemed to share in their apartment. At the fairy lights that hung around her, and the photos tucked neatly around the long mirror, and the giant stuffed cuddly bear that Chloe's eldest niece picked out two years ago as a housewarming present. So much of it reminded her of the redhead. "I miss you more."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lyrics are by a band called 'Kodaline' called 'The One'


	19. Epilogue IV - Sue Beale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [What does Chloe's mother make of Beca and the relationship her daughter seems to share with her?]

Sue Beale had come from a large family, was the youngest of the six children that Jack and Alice Richmond had had, and the only girl. Her five older brothers had been boisterous boys growing up, and hands-on macho-men during their teens and adult years. Sue Beale had been able to use her position as the youngest Richmond child _and_ only girl to her advantage. She'd had plenty of opportunity as a teen to pick any guy she wanted. The friends of her brothers desperately wanted to date her. The older brothers of her friends desperately wanted to date her. But throughout high school she had only ever had eyes for one boy. The guy who sat at the back of the classroom, rocking back in his chair, making the class laugh with his various impressions of teachers and classmates. He scored high grades in every test despite his apparent lack of engagement, and the young Sue Richmond could do nothing more but grin at him in awe.

It wasn't until their senior year that Jerry Beale had _finally_ asked her out. And the rest, as they say, was history. They had got married when they were eighteen, had their first son by the time they were twenty and their youngest child by the time they were twenty eight. Her mother had told her she was crazy to be having another child, telling her she was doomed for boy number four much as she had been. But the moment she heard the tiny wail of the newborn she just _knew_ it was a girl. They named her Chloe, after her grandmother.

Sue Beale turned her attention from the television in the corner of the lounge over to the couch beside her and her husband. There, sprawled out on the couch, phone ever present in her hand, staring at the TV, was her beautiful daughter. Her Chloe. Her pride and joy (not that she would tell her sons that). From the moment Chloe had been born Sue had felt a bond with her unlike any bond she had ever felt. Maybe it was because she was her only daughter. The daughter she had craved so much. Or maybe it was because she knew how it felt to be the youngest daughter, with several older brothers. Or maybe it was because she knew the struggle of growing up with ginger hair and the stigma that so often went with it. Her childhood had flashed by and Sue couldn't believe that her baby girl was soon to be turning twenty eight!

She watched as her daughter glanced at the screen of her phone, let out a tiny sigh, then resumed her attention on the TV. Chloe's expression was serious, unusual for the woman who had always been a very bubbly character, and Sue could tell that her daughter's mind was on something else. Or rather _someone_ else.

Almost as though he had been reading her mind, Jerry Beale piped up beside her, "What's Beca up to this evening then Chlo?"

Sue paused with baited breath as her daughter glanced down at her phone again, before twiddling the device between her fingertips, not looking over at the older couple, "Um…I'm not sure really. She'll have had a really busy day at work, especially as it's her first day back in six weeks. I just hope she's eaten something substantial for dinner..."

The young redhead glanced at her phone, this time unlocking it to look at something with a slight frown. Sue knew her daughter was waiting for some contact from Beca. It wasn't unusual for the twenty seven year old to mention her best friend. From the moment Chloe had met Beca six years ago she had talked about her at almost any given opportunity to her parents. Beca did this. Beca said that. Beca would like this. Beca would like that. Sue knew her daughter hadn't realised she did it, and the mother had made sure to not brooch the subject of whether Chloe had a crush on her best friend. Mostly because it was glaringly obvious. She didn't need to ask. It was a mother's instinct to just know.

Suddenly she saw her daughter's face light up as her phone chimed and Sue Beale _knew_ Beca must have finally contacted Chloe. Her heart soared, seeing the look of sheer joy on her little girl's face. She had never seen her react that way before. Chloe had of course been a very smiley and enthusiastic child, particularly when she had been given presents or taken for surprises. But her face had never opened out into the smile that was currently on her face as she eagerly texted back. Sue glanced to her right, at her husband who had been looking at their daughter with a grin. He gave her a small wink before resuming his focus on Chloe and Sue joined him as their daughter's phone began to ring.

"Ah, speak of the devil. I'll be right back!" The youngest Beale chirped as she bolted up off the couch and skipped out of the lounge with a broad smile, answering the phone with an airy "Hey!"

"Say hi to Beca for us!" Sue found herself calling out to her daughter who was ascending the stairs with a short giggle, presumably going to her bedroom.

The mother turned back to her husband who was grinning like the Cheshire Cat, "I've never seen her that happy before" he admitted and Sue had to agree, she didn't think Chloe had _ever_ been that happy before, "Your mother's going to freak when she finds out." Jerry quipped, giving her a nudge and Sue tutted, rolling her eyes. The thing was, he wasn't wrong.

It hadn't been a huge shock to Jerry and Sue when they had settled down last Friday, in their kitchen at home, and heard their daughter declare her love for her best friend. It had been more of a shock to see her so drunk that she could barely stand herself upright. No matter how old Chloe got, she would always be their little girl.

" _The Barden Bella's are now live. What does that even mean?" Sue Beale furrowed her brow as the notification popped up at the top of her iPad screen. She and her husband had just sat at the kitchen table together ready to look through The Bella's Twitter feed to find out how their final performance of the European Tour had gone. She saw her husband shrug before he reached out and pressed the bar that had appeared at the top of the screen. The screen suddenly changed to Instagram and the couple jumped as the sound of cheering was sounded from the device. The picture caught up with the audio and from what they could make out from the video that was currently streaming live, it appeared that their daughter was just breaking away from a kiss that she had been giving Beca on the lips!_

_The parents could tell from the unstable camerawork and the way their daughter appeared to be swaying that The Bella's were indeed having a very good night. They watched as Chloe giggled loudly, took a swig of what they hoped was water, then tried to place the glass down on the work surface beside her. They watched as Beca lunged to grab the glass just before it fell to the floor. Then before they knew what was happening their daughter had thrown her arms around the neck of the petite brunette exclaiming loudly that she loved her. Declarations of love were not unusual for Chloe when she had had one too many to drink, her parent knew that all too well._

_Sue noticed the way Beca awkwardly patted Chloe on the back and felt for the girl. She knew her daughter was quite overwhelming with her affection, and that Chloe had mentioned on a number of occasions that Beca wasn't one for being overly affectionate at the best of times, least of all on a night out. The Beale's watched as their daughter gasped, looking at Beca, her hands on her shoulders as she slurred loudly, "Beca I'm so sorry! We're supposed to be keeping us a secret! The others can't…can't know that we're…you know…dating!"_

_And with that bombshell Sue Beale found her heart lurching slightly. Not because her daughter was dating another woman. She'd been wondering for several months now if Chloe and Beca had been dating. Why else would her daughter have wanted to drop everything and move to New York with the young woman if she didn't harbour some sort of feelings for her? No the thing that appeared to shock Sue the most was that her daughter hadn't told her, instead doing so publicly. She thought that the bond that they had was so strong Chloe would have at least told her first._

_"Oh my God" she heard her husband mutter under his breath before catching the eye of his wife and looking at her. They'd talked about the possibility of their daughter dating her housemate. They'd both agreed they'd be okay about it as long as Chloe was happy. But Jerry was clearly just as shocked to be finding out this way as Sue had been._

_The parents resumed their attention on the screen in time to see Beca affectionately pulling Chloe's hand from her mouth and holding it over her heart. Suddenly Chloe had spun in Beca's arms to face the camera (and presumably the rest of The Bella's behind it), holding her hands up in the air and yelling, "Beca and I are dating and she's my girlfriend and I'm her girlfriend and I love herrrrr!" And The Beale's, overwhelmed with joy at how happy their daughter seemed, grinned as they noticed Beca reach out and grab hold of the glass beside them, ensuring she kept a good hold of Chloe, before saying patiently "Alright you, come on, have some more water please."_

_Sue wasn't surprised to see Chloe swoop in and kiss Beca again on the lips before sipping some more water. She remembered how besotted Chloe had been with her first boyfriend when she had been a teenager. The boy hadn't lasted long, overwhelmed by the over-protective nature of Chloe's older brothers who, despite living away from home due to college and life respectively, had made extra efforts to make his life a misery. Her sons had insisted their little sister had been far too good for him, something that both Sue and Jerry had secretly agreed with, but had never revealed._

_Sue looked at the iPad screen, a soft smile on her face as she saw just how happy Beca seemed to make her daughter. At how well she took care of her, even if there was a high chance she was drunk herself. And she knew that should they ever pluck up the courage to tell them that they were in a relationship, both she and Jerry would welcome Beca into their home with open arms._

"We'll even if my mother _does_ freak because her only granddaughter is a… _lesbian_ " Sue felt the need to whisper the word for some reason, "...it doesn't mean that we have to make a big deal about it."

"Definitely not. I like Beca." Jerry said with a shrug as he stared at the TV.

"I like Beca too." Sue said, also turning her attention to the TV. She _did_ like Beca. Always had. She had first met the young woman when Chloe had been in her fifth year of college, the first time she had retaken her senior year. She had of course heard a lot about Beca, Chloe having gushed about how she had saved The Bella's and led them to winning the ICCA finals. She hadn't prepared herself for how heavy the young woman's eyeliner would have been. Nor for the amount of piercings she would have in her ears. Nor how awkward she seemed when greeting them at the sorority house she shared with their daughter and the rest of The Bella's.

This girl was far from the type of girls that Chloe had ever been friends with. And she could have never predicted back then that four years later her daughter would up-sticks and move miles away to start a new life living in New York with her. Nor could she predict back then that two years after that Chloe would end up in a romantic relationship with the petite brunette. Or maybe she could have? Because she'd seen it from the moment Chloe had first introduced them. Sue knew her daughter better than anyone else. There had been this way that her daughter had looked at Beca. A look she had never seen Chloe give anyone since her short infactuation with her very first boyfriend several years before. A look she had never seen Chloe give anyone since. Sue's daughter had been besotted with Beca from day one and the mother had hoped, from the moment she had first met the brunette, that she wouldn't one day break her little girl's heart.

Naturally she had been worried when Chloe had persuaded them to let her move to New York so that Beca could continue her journey to become a music producer. Worried because it was Beca's dream, not Chloe's. It would be so easy for Beca to get a promotion or new job that required her to move to another part of the country or even the world, leaving Chloe behind in New York with an expensive rent and potentially a broken heart.

Yet while this had been a fear of Sue's during the first few months that her daughter had lived away, the moment she and Jerry had seen, over FaceTime, Beca returning home one evening with a bouquet of flowers for their daughter before the two women went out to Chloe's theatre kids' opening performance at a local theatre. Well, Sue had immediately felt relieved. That had been the proof that Beca was a woman who, in whatever capacity, would care for her daughter no matter what. As it stood, it appeared that Beca made her daughter _very_ happy indeed. And this knowledge made Sue Beale very happy, if not slightly sad that Chloe didn't feel confident enough to tell them herself that she and Beca were dating.

...

An hour passed and movement could be heard from upstairs. Jerry shuffled his position on the couch slightly, sitting up as their daughter skipped back into the lounge, diving back onto her favourite couch with a light sigh. There was a noticeable change in her expression. A broad smile remained on her face as she stared at the TV screen but as Sue Beale looked at her daughter she could tell the woman was daydreaming, evidently replaying the conversation she had just had with Beca in her head, her smile broadening further with each thing she remembered.

"How's Beca?" Sue heard her husband ask, his tone trying to be so casual that it almost came off as teasing. Fortunately the young redhead hadn't noticed, glancing down at her phone as it chimed, and letting out a small giddy chuckle before saying happily, "Yeah she's good. She says 'hi' back by the way, and is sorry she's not going to be able to come down here this week."

"I bet she is…" Jerry mumbled teasingly under his breath and Sue jammed her elbow into her husband's ribs causing him to let out a small chuckle. Chloe appeared to be too busy texting to notice, and Sue could tell her daughter was probably texting Beca thanks to the broad grin on her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it probably sounds braggy, but I LOVE the characters of Sue and Jerry Beale! And I love writing them.


	20. Epilogue V - Jesse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [What happens when Beca bumps into Jesse?]

" **What are you up to? Xx** "

Beca looked down at her phone screen as she saw the message from her girlfriend pop up and she smiled, quickly replying: " **Nothing much just missing you x** "

The brunette sat back in her seat and looked out of the cab window. She still found it odd for it to be so dark at 9pm. Having lived and worked in New York for a couple of years now, Beca had become adjusted to the blinding light that the 'City That Never Sleeps' provided the second the evenings drew in. Now, in the depths of South Carolina, with nothing more than the odd street lamp here or there, the nights sky was scattered with bright stars that shon out at her.

Beca glanced down at her phone again as Chloe responded with a monkey covering it's mouth emoji, followed by a smiley face with hearts for eyes emoji. She grinned again, her heart skipping a beat as she imagined the reaction Chloe was going to have the moment Beca turned up at her parent's lake house to surprise her. The redhead was going to freak. And there was only about fifteen minutes to go before she arrived.

The meeting with her boss this morning had essentially been an opportunity for him to catchup with the young woman during his brief trip to their New York HQ. Yet somehow, miraculously, it had turned into him congratulating her on the success that her trip to Europe had been. Not for her or The Bella's but success for Residual Heat, as Beca had ensured to promote the company at every possible opportunity. During interviews, on Twitter, on stage. Interest in the company from overseas had increased dramatically and it hadn't gone unnoticed by the top-dogs at Residual Heat. As a reward Beca's boss gave her the rest of the week off 'to visit her family who were all congregating at the family lake house' (she _knew_ he hadn't been listening to the details).

When she tried to protest, despite her heart dancing inside, he insisted that it was the first and only time she would ever be given this opportunity. That was enough for Beca, who had quickly shut her mouth, and took the opportunity with open arms. She had patiently remained at the office for two more meetings before hastily slipping away, thrilled that she'd have time to grab a free coffee at Chloe's coffee shop. What she hadn't bargain on was who she would bump into at the coffee shop.

_Beca dove through the door of the coffee shop, letting out a long sigh as she pulled her soaking umbrella from above her head, shaking it slightly to the side before collapsing it and placing it behind one of the coat stands that had actually been her suggestion at the beginning of last year. As always the shop was heaving, the sound bouncing off the walls of customers talking loudly over the rumble of the coffee grinder and milk frother behind the coffee shop counter. From the looks of things all tables in the building were taken, but Beca knew where there would be a free seat. So she snuck past the customers who were patiently waiting to give the staff their coffee order in the long queue, and towards the end of the bar where she knew the free chair would be stood beside the small table that probably had paperwork spread out all over it. It was where she so often, if not always, sat whenever she waited patiently for Chloe to be given a break, which was usually the moment Beca arrived. Chloe of course wasn't working at the coffee shop this week, and was instead away at her family's lake house. And as such, Beca had no idea whether any of the staff would make an effort to acknowledge her let alone give her a free coffee._

_Fortunately a bubbly "Hey Beca!" was sounded from one of the staff members (who Beca thought was called Libby? Maybe?) which, intern, caused a wave of friendly "Hey Beca"'s by the rest of the team. Unfortunately, the moment she turned her head whilst walking to acknowledge them her petite frame collided with a taller, broader frame. A…familiar frame. The shock and embarrassment of literally bumping into someone meant Beca didn't really register the person's familiar voice as he apologised until she looked up at him. Her heart lurched, her stomach twisted, and her chest tightened as she looked up at those deep dark brown eyes belonging to a face that opened up into an awkward smile as the two recognised each other._

_"Beca? Hey!"_

_Beca felt sick. There stood before her was her ex-boyfriend. Jesse. Jesse was here. At Chloe's work. Okay, so it was a coffee shop in New York City and anybody is allowed to come here, but still…Chloe worked here! Beca could feel how dry her mouth had become and she cleared her throat while Jesse patiently waited for her response, take-out coffee cup in hand. It was a miracle it had survived their collision. "Jesse…um…wha-…how…what are you doing here?"_

_Even with the loud hubble of chatter around them and loud coffee machines beside them Beca still heard him chuckle, a bemused grin on his face. Or maybe she could just remember what that particular chuckle sounded like, so she'd heard it anyway? She saw him glance around the coffee shop, particularly behind the counter at the staff who were busy bustling around making and serving their customers. But the glance was short-lived, and Beca's heart raced as Jesse resumed his focus on her, "I'm in New York for a couple of days attending a film composing workshop. We're staying up by Central Park."_

_Beca had somehow lost all ability to speak. Or even form words in her head. Seeing Jesse here, out of context within this coffee shop, had completely thrown her. She figured moving to the other side of the country from him would almost guarantee never having to bump into him, particularly not like this. It didn't matter that she was currently lost for words. She knew Jesse would keep speaking, despite her silence. He'd always been one to hate silences, particularly long silences. It had so often been the reason why they had argued during their relationship. Jesse had always accused her of shutting him out, demanding she tell him what was going on in her head so he could try to understand her._

_It had been so draining because usually her silence was just because she had nothing to say, or that she was busy spending time trying to quietly work out how she was feeling herself. Beca never saw the awkwardness in silence and that was another reason why she loved Chloe so much. If Beca ever went silent around Chloe the redhead would just go about her own business, or continue what she was doing, or continue talking at Beca, usually not about anything relevant or useful or demanding, until Beca was ready to speak again. She never forced the brunette to talk to her. She never demanded that Beca tell her how she was feeling or what she was thinking. Chloe simply got her. Chloe knew how to handle her. And that was why Chloe was her best friend. That was why Chloe was now her girlfriend._

_"Hey congratulations on the tour by the way. I was keeping a keen eye on The Bella's Instagram…" if Beca hadn't still been so hepped-up on the bizarreness of seeing Jesse stood before her, having not seen him for over two years, she would've noticed the expression on his face darken slightly as he continued talking, "Looks like you had a great time."_

_Beca felt her phone vibrate in her hand and she glanced down at it while she spoke, "Yeah…" it was Chloe, who had sent her a text asking her how her meeting with her boss went, "…it was definitely memorable...Nice to be home though." the brunette said without really thinking about her wording. She looked back up at Jesse and swallowed loudly as she saw his lop-sided grin grow from the corner of his mouth. They were staying in Central Park, lucky them. Whoever 'they' were in addition to Jesse._

_"So…what are you doing…here? Like, here in this coffee shop. If you're staying mid-town I mean…". It was a straight forward question that Beca prayed wasn't going to lead to an answer that went something along the lines of him trying to find her and romantically win her back. She was finally happy. Happier than she had been for such a long time. Maybe happier than she had even been? Having Jesse here was an inconvenience._

_"Oh…well…" She watched him make a slow sweeping glance around the shop while he spoke, "you Bella's have all been talking about this place so much on your Twitter accounts…" his eyes arrived at the coffee bar to his right and he stood there, looking at each staff member, as though expecting to see someone, "I figured I should see what all the fuss was about while in The Big Apple." And Beca gulped as Jesse brought his focus back to her with another grin, holding up his take-out coffee cup to prove his motive. Again Beca relished the silence, hoping that her ex would soon feel so awkward that he would bid her farewell and immediately leave. But he didn't. "Hey how's Chloe doing?"_

_"Uh…" Beca felt her heart jump into her mouth and she knew from Jesse's expression that he was looking earnestly for her reaction to his question. Her brain raced at a million miles an hour as she tried desperately to think of any way that Jesse could have found out about her and Chloe dating. But she couldn't. Fortunately the silence had been too much again for Jesse, and the young man continued, "I mean, she moved up here with you right?"_

_Beca felt a huge wave of relieve rush over her. That's why he was asking. Because he knew she must see Chloe a lot because the redhead had moved to NY with her instead of him. "Right…yeah…no she's good. We've got an apartment down in Brooklyn. She teaches dance and stuff, as well as working here…" Many people would describe Chloe's work-life as unstable for a twenty seven year old. They would put her full-time job at the coffee shop first followed by her part-time volunteering at the neighbourhood theatre if asked what she was doing with her life. But not Beca. Beca was proud of Chloe for perusing something she loved, even when it was in a voluntary capacity. So she always opened with that. She always opened with Chloe's favourite 'job' which was teaching dance. "…she's down in South Carolina visiting her family this week."_

_"Oh…" the grin on Jesse's face dropped as he looked at her curiously, "and you didn't go with her?" Beca furrowed her brow slightly. No she hadn't gone with her. Yes, she and Chloe had essentially been joined at the hip since moving to New York, but Jesse wasn't to know that. The funny thing was, that was now her plan. Her boss had informed her she could take the rest of the week off as paid leave. So Beca had immediately booked a flight out to Columbia Metropolitan Airport with the intention of surprising Chloe by turning up at her family's lake house. Sue Beale had been good enough to text her the address the moment Beca had asked if she could come down to stay for a few days and not to tell Chloe as she wanted it to be a surprise._

_"Um…well I was going to be working this week but my boss has just given me the rest of the week off so…I'm actually going to travel down there later today." And not wanting to make it sound too much like she was going to go down there with the specific intention of seeing Chloe because she missed her so much and couldn't stand the idea of another night alone in their apartment, Beca quickly added, "Free holiday and all that" with a casual shrug, as though it wasn't a big deal._

_Beca had no idea if it had worked. If Jesse really did believe that she was going down to the Beale's lake house because it was a free holiday. But Beca was rolling with it. And she saw Jesse's eyebrows rise slightly, "oh…I was going to see if you wanted to meet up for a drink later to catch up…"_

_Beca felt her stomach lurch again. Even if she hadn't already planned on flying down to see Chloe, she couldn't think of anything worse than meeting up with Jesse for a drink. Not because he wasn't a nice guy. But because she struggled to get through many conversations with anyone without mentioning Chloe. Mentioning Chloe to Jesse would lead to them talking about the redhead in more depth, which would lead to her eventually telling Jesse that she and Chloe were in fact dating. Which could potentially open up a can of worms because Jesse hadn't really liked Chloe much during college. And Beca hadn't ever had time to consider that it was perhaps because he was jealous of how the brunette had acted around Chloe back then. Chloe had managed to break through Beca's bubble, the bubble that was her personal space and feelings, the bubble that had so often kept Jesse out. Jesse. Her own boyfriend at the time._

_There were so many times, particularly when they had been drunk at college parties, where Beca had chosen to dance and grind with Chloe instead of Jesse. He'd been to almost every one of their Bella performances except for senior year, and each time he'd noticed just how often his girlfriend would be paired up with Chloe during routines, and just how comfortable Beca seemed having her hands and arms draped over the redhead during those routines and vice-versa. When he'd found out that Chloe was the key choreographer for The Bella's that's when he'd started becoming openly brooding and angry with the redhead, drunkenly calling her out on her feelings for his girlfriend during aca-parties. But Beca didn't always know about those moments. Chloe had never told her and Jesse had usually forgotten by the morning._

_"Yeah I can't meet up with you Jesse," She said as she moved past her ex-boyfriend, slowly stepping backwards towards the paperwork-table, still addressing him as she spoke, "but good luck with everything."_

_Beca thought she'd feel guilty, but she didn't. Yes they had broken up amicably and yes he was a nice guy and yes his decision not to go with her to New York had paved the way for Chloe to go with her instead. Had paved the way for her deep feelings to develop for the redhead that eventually culminated in her revealing them to Chloe a few weeks ago. In an odd way it was thanks to him that she and Chloe were now together. But it was possibly also thanks to him that they hadn't got together sooner. And while Beca was happy with the way things had finally turned out between her and Chloe, there was still a tiny part of her that wondered what could've happened had Jesse not been in their way during college._

_Beca and Chloe could've been fast approaching their third, fourth, or fifth year anniversary had Beca not been with Jesse in college_ _. Anniversaries had been something she'd hated when she'd been with him. He'd always made such a big deal about them. But the idea of being able to treat Chloe to something should they end up celebrating an anniversary, the idea of doing something that would make those bright blue eyes shine while that dazzling smile beamed at her made Beca realise just how comfortable Chloe made her feel about commitment and life and love. So much so that saying goodbye to Jesse in person wasn't a difficult or regretful action._

_"Right…yeah…good luck Bec. Say hi to Chloe for me."_

_And Beca watched Jesse leave the coffee shop before turning to the coffee shop counter as one of the staff members (Mike maybe?) approached her with a smile, holding out a take-out cup of coffee, "Hey Beca. Black Americano with two sugars yeah?" and Beca took the cup with a grateful smile, relieved that she could now escape back home to pack her things and dash to the airport._

The cab pulled up to the lake house, and Beca stepped out of the vehicle. She gathered a wad of notes, thanking the cab driver as he handed her luggage to her in return for the money. The woman turned on the spot, taking a deep breath as she looked at the large house before her. She couldn't get over the size of it. It was almost as big as the house her father and step-mother owned in Atlanta. And this was just the Beale's holiday home!

Beca's heart was racing, her palms feeling clammy as she wandered up to the large front door, dropping her luggage beside her and knocking as confidently as possible on the wooden exterior. After a few moments of waiting a light just inside the door lit up and Beca held her breath. She couldn't work out if she was excited or nervous, but her heart was certainly confirming she was at least one of those things. She heard the door being unlocked, before swinging open slowly. And there her eyes caught a pair of bright blue eyes that blinked at her for a couple of moments, as the young woman before her tried to process her presence.

"Um…hey Chl-" was all Beca was able to say before a loud gasp and squeal fell out of Chloe's mouth as the redhead lunged forward and threw her arms around her neck, pulling her into a tight hug.

"Beca what are you _doing_ here?" Chloe said as she stepped back from her girlfriend but clung to her hands that hung by their sides. Beca's heart had stopped racing and now felt as though it had grown a million times larger than it had been as she drank in the expression on Chloe's face. The redhead wore no make up and had her hair up in a messy bun. But Beca didn't care. Chloe looked _beautiful_.

"Sam gave me the rest of the week off because I promoted Residual Heat so well while we were away in Europe so-" and again her sentence was cut short as Chloe let out another short squeal before pulling Beca into another tight hug.

"I've missed you _so much"_ she heard her girlfriend mumble in her ear, but Beca froze as she noticed Chloe's parents wandering through to the entrance hall behind the redhead. Beca cleared her throat, quickly dropping her hands from around Chloe's waist.

"Beca, so lovely to see you again!" Sue Beale said with a warm smile, taking the opportunity of her daughter stepping away from the new guest the moment she had noticed her parents, to move forward and give Beca a quick hug. The Beale's were huggers. That was their thing. Every member of the family both immediate and extended. They hugged as a form of greeting when meeting friends and family, and hugged when saying goodbye. When Jerry and Sue Beale had first met Beca several years ago they had been pre-warned by their daughter that Beca was not a hugger. She hated open affection. Jerry had joked that they'd kill her with kindness if she didn't watch it, something Chloe had begged him not to do or say. So they had been on their very best behaviour, accepting the awkward wave from Beca as a form of greeting. Over the years, however, and the more comfortable Beca got with each encounter with The Beale's, the more open she was to them giving her a traditional Beale greeting. Now, it was just second nature.

"How was your flight?" Jerry asked as he stepped back from the hug he had also given the brunette. The two younger women hadn't noticed a change in the parent's demeanour, both too thrilled to be around each other again, but both Jerry and Sue were looking at Beca in a new light as she stood beside their daughter. Because Beca was no longer just their daughter's best friend, she was now Chloe's _'secret'_ girlfriend. The woman their daughter clearly loved. She was family.

"Yeah great, a totally smooth journey the whole way here, thanks Jerry." Beca said with a smile, and she noticed her girlfriend's jaw drop.

"You _knew_ she was coming?" Chloe asked her parents accusingly, sensing how calm they seemed, and the couple grinned with small nods.

"Yes I got a text from Beca earlier today asking if she could come and stay for a few days." Sue said with a knowing smile and Jerry nodded. Beca turned to look at her girlfriend who had begun grinning, tears in her bright blue eyes, clearly over the moon that her mother and father had been in on this surprise. "Anyway, we're off up to bed sweetheart." Sue Beale said affectionately as she curled a strand of her daughter's red hair behind her ear.

"We are?" Jerry piped up, furrowing his brow slightly, but the moment he noticed his wife's expression as she looked at him he quickly changed tact, "I mean…yes of course we are because it's…" And he glanced down at his wristwatch, "…nine thir-… _only nine_ _thirty_?!" The man looked shocked at how early it was but, seeing his wife's stern expression again, he stood up straight and cleared his throat, "Which…is pretty late for us old folk so…"

"So we'll leave you two to catch up." Sue Beale said kindly as she turned back to Beca and Chloe with a warm smile on her face, "Now Beca, I don't know if Chloe told you but her brothers are arriving tomorrow with their families and we've already made their bedrooms up. So this means you'll need to share with Chloe if that's alright?"

Beca swallowed quite loudly, noticing Chloe's broad grin out of the corner of her eye as the redhead looked at her, and she managed to mumble a quiet, "um…yeah of course." She wasn't sure which piece of information she was more surprised about, the fact that tomorrow she was meeting the rest of Chloe's immediate family that she'd heard so much about, or that Chloe's parents were essentially giving her the go-ahead to share a bed with their daughter during her stay with them. She was sure they wouldn't be allowing this if they knew that Beca and Chloe were more than just friends...

"Chloe you can show Beca where everything is…" Sue began, and Chloe nodded.

"Beca, you know the Beale rule, help yourself to any food or drink." Jerry said, a friendly smile on his face, and Beca smiled. She knew the rule alright. After graduating from Barden University and before moving to New York, Beca had moved back home to her Dad's in Atlanta, Chloe to her parents' in Lexington. But with only a three hour drive between their houses and Beca's often strained relationship with her father, the brunette had spent many a day visiting Chloe. As a result she had become accustomed to the Beale household rule. If something was there that could be eaten it should be eaten without any permission necessary, unless it had someone's name written on it.

"Breakfast will probably be out on the kitchen table in the morning about 9 but get up whenever you're ready." Sue finished, and Beca began salivating already at the thought of breakfast. When The Beale's did breakfast, they _did_ breakfast. Sue Beale, having grown up with five older brothers and having brought up three sons, knew how to cook well and in mass portions. However much Beca hated getting up in the mornings, getting up for a 9am Beale breakfast would be no problem at all.

"Thanks Mom" Chloe said as her mother stepped forward to hug her goodnight. Beca received one more hug from Sue Beale before she stepped back to join her husband. The parents paused, looking at the two women, smiles on their faces, before bidding them goodnight and slowly ascending the staircase.

No sooner had Jerry and Sue Beale reached the top of the stairs and were out of sight, Chloe flung her arms back around Beca's neck and smashed her mouth against hers. Beca immediately felt a warm rush tingling its way through her body like an electric spark, from her lips, right the way down her body to her toes, as Chloe kissed her hard. Beca snaked her arms around the redhead's waist, pulling her body tight against hers. She could hear her girlfriend hum as she traced her tongue along Chloe's bottom lip, and before long their tongues began dancing with each other as Chloe's fingers tangled themselves within Beca's hair.

Beca couldn't be sure how long they'd been stood there for, but soon the two women had been forced to part, gasping for air. Beca felt Chloe rub her nose affectionately against hers, a dreamy smile plastered across both their faces. "I really missed you" she heard Chloe whisper, and Beca's smile broadened. However much Chloe imagined Beca had missed her too it was nothing compared to the reality of how much Beca really _had_ missed her girlfriend. She had honestly missed her more than anyone or anything that she had missed in her whole lifetime. But she was never going to tell her that.

So instead Beca simply raised her eyebrows, "It's only been two days, Beale" she teased, though she placed an affectionate kiss on the tip of Chloe's nose. She adored that nose. The way some of Chloe's ginger freckles appeared to gather and sit on it, as though eagerly awaiting the sun. She'd once spent an hour one morning in Paris lying beside Chloe whilst the redhead slept, and patiently tried to count each freckle on her face. She'd lost count at around the ninetieth freckle, but mostly because she'd either thought she'd counted the same freckle twice, or missed a few, or Chloe had simply shuffled in her sleep causing the brunette to lose count.

"Two days too long" Chloe whispered with a grin, closing her eyes slowly and returning her lips to Beca's, and Beca felt herself melt back into Chloe's arms as they continued quietly making out in the entrance of the Beale family lake house, ignoring the fact that they had still forgotten to close the front door.


	21. Epilogue VI - Jerry Beale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Jerry's POV of Beca turning up on their doorstep one evening..]

Chloe sighed impatiently as she looked at her phone again. Fifteen minutes. It had been fifteen minutes since she had sent that last text to Beca. A monkey covering it's mouth emoji, followed by a smiley face with hearts for eyes emoji. That was all she'd sent. It was usually an invitation for Beca to start texting her back with all manner of emojis. One of which, for some reason, was usually the waterskiing emoji. But nothing.

The redhead looked over from her position on her favourite sofa at her parents lake house, at the clock that stood on top of the fireplace. It was only nine twenty in the evening. What on earth could Beca be doing that meant she couldn't text her back? Many might suggest that Beca had had another long day at work and probably fallen asleep the moment she got home. But Chloe knew her girlfriend. She knew Beca was a night owl and would stay awake late no matter how early she had to get up the next morning.

Chloe didn't want to become _that_ girl. The one that began demanding that her significant other text her back as soon as she'd texted them. But the wait was beginning to drive her a little crazy as she opened up her text inbox and re-read the last couple of texts she'd sent her girlfriend before falling into the abyss that was scrolling back on their text history. So far she'd scrolled back as far as a series of three selfies that she had sent Beca two weeks ago, of the two of them together, on the plane waiting to take off from JFK to begin The Bella's European Tour.

The first was of Chloe posing to the camera with her signature selfie-smile, leaning over towards Beca who had her signature straight-face as she loomed into the camera, trying to look unimpressed. The second photo had come moments later, once Chloe had told her off for not smiling. So this time Beca had stuck her tongue out, scrunching her nose up as she held the two fingers of her right hand up in a 'V' shape, while Chloe had posed the way she had the first time. The third and final photo was the photo that Chloe now used as the wallpaper for her phone's homescreen. This time Beca had leant her body into Chloe's, uncharacteristically looping her left arm in Chloe's right, while smiling naturally as the redhead also beamed into the camera. They rarely took a photo where one of them (usually Beca) wasn't pulling a face, so this one was one of Chloe's favourites.

It was also one of her favourites because she could remember exactly how she felt taking that photo. This was before Beca had revealed her feelings for Chloe and vice-versa. Before they started dating. Before they'd kissed or had sex. This photo represented the true core of their relationship. At its core, Beca and Chloe were best friends. Closer to each other than anyone else. Able to read each other better than anyone else could. Each other's lifelines in an often scary big adult world. Soul-mates if you will. Chloe had always known they were meant to be, and she loved this photo because at the time it had been taken they hadn't been a couple, but they looked like one.

Chloe jumped as she heard a loud knock at the front door and her blood ran cold. Who on earth was visiting them at this time of night? It wasn't like the house was on the main road. She strained her ears, listening out for her parents who would inevitably be asking each other who was at the front door from their positions in the kitchen. But to Chloe's surprise she heard her mother call out to her, "Chloe would you get that please?"

The redhead swallowed loudly as she stood up from the sofa, slipping her phone into her back pocket as she shuffled out of the lounge and through to the entrance hall. Her parents didn't sound alarmed. In fact her mother had sounded almost too relaxed when she had called out to her. From the sounds of things her parents were still in the kitchen, not talking but presumably still making the pies that Sue Beale we renowned for. If her parents didn't seem concerned then perhaps she shouldn't be? After all, they wouldn't send their only daughter to answer the door if they felt the was someone threatening on the other side of it and Chloe wondered if she had misheard her mother earlier and that her brothers were actually arriving this evening. It would certainly explain why Sue had spent the past six hours frantically baking breakfast pastries and breakfast muffins, as well as the pies that were often served after lunch.

Chloe switched the light on and gently began unlocking the door before slowly pulling it open. She froze. Her breath caught in her throat. Her heart began to race. It wasn't her brothers nor any member of their families. There, stood on the porch, was Beca. The brunette had a smile on her face that to many would be mistaken as a forced grin, but Chloe _knew_ her girlfriend, and she knew what that grin meant. That grin was an ' _I'm excited to be surprising you and I know you're going to love this but I hope you're actually okay with me surprising you and that I've made the right decision to surprise you and that it's not going to freak you out_ ' kind of grin.

She'd seen it a few times before. Like that time a couple of years back when they'd only been in New York for five weeks and, to celebrate Chloe's birthday, Beca had turned up late morning on a break between meetings, at the coffee shop Chloe worked at, with several cupcakes that she'd picked up from the Magnolia Bakery down the street. Chloe's _favourite_ cupcakes. Then there was that time Chloe had had the opening night of the little local theatre company she taught dance at, and Beca had got home just before they were due to leave and surprised her with a bunch of her favourite flowers to wish her luck, even though the redhead wasn't performing. And most recently Chloe had seen Beca wearing that grin when the brunette had woken her up just two days ago on Sunday morning, Chloe opening her eyes to the sound of her name being whispered, and smiling at the sight of Beca with that grin on her face as she awkwardly held out a tray of breakfast things.

Right now though, this very moment, this was her most favourite 'Beca surprise'. And as soon as Chloe finally processed that it really was Beca, the moment her girlfriend uttered an "Um…hey Chl-", the redhead let out a loud gasp and a squeal before lunging at the petite woman before her and pulling her into a tight hug.

"Beca what are you _doing_ here?" Chloe said as she stepped back from her girlfriend, absolutely thrilled to see her. Her heart was still racing as she clung to Beca's hands by their sides, staring at her face as though this would be the only time she would ever get to see the woman, and so desperately wanted to drink in every feature. She only caught the first few words of Beca's reason for being stood on the porch instead of being in New York, feeling so overwhelmed by the surprise. Beca would be spending the week here with her, at her family's lake house. Her favourite, most important people all together with her under one roof. And the thought of that and how sweet it was of Beca to surprise her meant that Chloe elicited another small squeal, and threw her arms around the brunette's neck again.

"I've missed you _so much_!" She mumbled into Beca's ear, closing her eyes, relishing the feel of her girlfriend's arms around her waist once again as she inhaled the scent of Beca's shampoo. The moment was short-lived however, as she felt her girlfriend tense up, dropping her hands from her waist whilst clearing her throat, and Chloe knew this meant her parents had joined them. The redhead stepped away as her mother greeted Beca.

Chloe looked from her girlfriend to each of her parents as they hugged Beca one at a time and she felt her stomach knot a little. She rarely had any secrets from her parents but dating Beca was the biggest secret she'd ever kept from them and it filled her with guilt. She had no idea why she hadn't told them. Her parents were kind and generous people, who supported each of their four children whole-heartedly. They loved openly, affectionately, and were proud of each and every thing that their children did. Save for perhaps their youngest retaking her senior year four times, which they hadn't talked to her much about, but rather encouraged her to just try harder next time, and sympathising with her each time she called them to tell them she'd failed Russian Lit again. The celebration they had when Chloe had called them to tell them she'd finally passed was unlike anything she'd ever known.

"How was your flight?" Chloe heard her father ask. She knew her parents liked Beca. They'd always said so occasionally in the past, and even more so since she'd moved to New York with her. Chloe looked from Beca to her parents who were smiling at the brunette as she answered Jerry's question. The thing was, her parents seemed calm. Perhaps a little too calm that their daughter's best friend had just turned up on the doorstep of their holiday home, out of the blue, at gone nine-thirty at night. Then suddenly it hit her. They'd known all along that Beca was coming down here. That explained why her mother had suddenly gone into housewife-mode this afternoon and insisted her husband clean the entire house while she bustled about in the kitchen.

"You _knew_ she was coming?" Chloe found herself asking her parents and they simply nodded, the smiles on their faces not wavering once. The redhead felt her heart skip a beat, tears beginning to appear in her eyes as she heard her mother explain that Beca had asked her whether she could surprise Chloe with a visit. It was at this moment that Chloe considered that perhaps her parents wouldn't be too fazed if she announced to them that Beca was actually more than just her housemate. More than just her best friend. That Beca was actually her girlfriend and that they'd begun a romantic relationship. But Chloe knew this was something she needed to discuss with Beca before they decided to tell their parents. So she remained quiet as her mother reached a hand out to curl her daughter's red hair affectionately behind the young woman's ear.

"Anyway, we're off up to bed sweetheart." Sue said with a soft smile and Chloe felt a warm glow as she realised not only was Beca going to be with her tonight but that they were going to be alone together. While her father protested slightly at how early it was to be going up to bed, Chloe's mind began drifting, thinking of the different parts of the house she could drag Beca off to so they could truly be alone…

"Now Beca, I don't know if Chloe told you but her brothers are arriving tomorrow with their families and we've already made their bedrooms up. So this means you'll need to share with Chloe if that's alright?"

Chloe's heart soared. Her parents had put a double bed in her room over Christmas. For years before that it had only ever been her bedroom with a single bed. So this suggestion by her mother didn't just mean that Beca was expected to share Chloe's room, she was expected to share Chloe's bed too. She beamed at Beca as the brunette swallowed loudly, mumbling a quiet "um…yeah of course" back at Sue, who turned to her daughter.

"Chloe you can show Beca where everything is…" The mother said to her daughter and Chloe nodded eagerly. She would make sure Beca knew every inch of this house over the next few days if the opportunities lent themselves.

"Beca, you know the Beale rule, help yourself to any food or drink." Chloe heard her father tell the brunette, a warm smile on his face.

"Breakfast will probably be out on the kitchen table in the morning about 9 but get up whenever you're ready." Sue finished, beaming at the two young women stood before her, with a broad smile that Chloe had inherited. The mother gave her daughter a hug goodnight as Chloe thanked her. Her heart soared again as her mother hugged Beca goodnight too. She loved how much her parents liked Beca, and she hoped that when the time came and she finally told them that she was actually dating her best friend, that they would still like Beca and approve of Chloe's decision to pursue a relationship with the petite brunette. Because Beca really did make her happier than she had ever felt before meeting her.

Chloe's heart began to race in anticipation as her bright blue eyes followed the figures of her parents who slowly walked up the staircase to their bedroom at the back of the house. No sooner had the couple disappeared from sight Chloe took a sharp intake of breath, turned 90 degrees to her left, and flung her arms around Beca's neck again, colliding her mouth onto hers. She sucked at her girlfriend's lips lustfully, kissing her hard, her body beginning to feel numb with excitement as she felt Beca wrap her arms tight around her waist to deepen their kiss. Chloe felt Beca trace her tongue along her bottom lip and the redhead let out a quiet hum as she willingly let her girlfriend's tongue into her mouth.

She had missed this _so_ much. The sound of Beca's loud intake of breath through her nose each time their kiss deepened, and the feel of Beca's hair as she ran her fingers through it. She'd missed the way Beca smelt, the way Beca cupped her ass pulling their bodies as close together as possible, and the way she felt a warm glow radiating from her heart as she felt her soul connecting with the petite brunette's. To many who didn't know the couple, this immediate passionate kiss seemed like pure lust. To Beca and Chloe this was love.

Chloe was the first to reluctantly break the kiss, both gasping for air as quietly as possible, not wanting to draw the attention of The Beale's who would undoubtedly ask what was going on if they came downstairs to see the young women both looking so flustered. The redhead brought her right hand around to cup Beca's cheek, rubbing her nose affectionately against hers, dreamy smiles on their faces.

"I really missed you" Chloe whispered. She'd said those four words to people before. She'd said it loudly and excitably to The Bella's throughout college when they returned to their sorority house after each holiday. She'd said it in a patronising affectionate voice to her nephews and niece the times she had greeted them over the years and they'd bundled her with hugs. She'd said it to Beca with a joyful giggle when she'd returned to New York in the new year, after spending Christmas with her family. But she had never said it as earnestly or heartfelt as she had just now. As though it was a deep confession that she had so desperately wanted Beca to know. Because she had never felt those words as intensely as she did now.

To her delight Beca's smile broadened, and the petite brunette leant her head back slightly, locking her eyes properly with Chloe's, and raised her eyebrows, "It's only been two days Beale" she said with a low teasing tone, causing Chloe to let out a quiet airy giggle under her breath.

"Two days too long" Chloe whispered with a grin, closing her eyes slowly and returning her lips to Beca's. A couple more moments passed as the two women continued to quietly make out in the entrance of the lake house. Suddenly they jumped apart at the sound of a loud cough followed by footsteps walking along the upstairs landing. Chloe's father cleared his throat unnecessarily loudly, calling out to his wife, "Sue I'm just going downstairs to get a drink of water!" Chloe and Beca quickly wiped their mouths, dashing for Beca's luggage that was still outside on the porch.

…

Jerry Beale walked into the bedroom closely followed by his wife, who quietly closed the door behind them. He let out a loud sigh as he made his way through to their ensuite trying to work out how he was feeling at the moment. It was one thing being okay with the idea that his daughter was in a romantic relationship with her best friend. And that her best friend was a woman. But he hadn't thought about how he would feel when he actually met Beca in person. He had of course met Beca on many occasions before this evening. But this was the first time he'd met her as someone else. As his daughter's girlfriend. Not that either of the young women knew that he and his wife knew.

He'd met a couple of Chloe's boyfriends in the past. The ones she'd dated when she'd been in high school. He'd hated them and fortunately his sons had agreed. None of Chloe's boyfriends were good enough for his little girl. He'd dreaded the man his daughter might one day end up with, something that had always loomed in the back of his mind as she'd grown up. So naturally he'd been shocked when his wife had one day suggested that perhaps their daughter had feelings for her best friend. For Beca. A _woman_.

It had been back when Chloe had been mid-way through the third retake of her senior year. Chloe had invited several of her college friends to the family home during spring break, including Beca. And one night, while tucked up in bed with a good book, his wife had broached the subject of the attention their daughter seemed to give the awkward brunette. Sue had noticed it. Of course she had. Jerry, however, had been blissfully unaware that perhaps their daughter looked at Beca far more than she looked at any of her other friends. That she always sat beside her without fail. That she spoke about her more than any other one of her friends during any conversation. And that her face lit up the moment she realised Beca had walked into the same room as her.

Ever since his wife had drawn his attention to it, it was all Jerry could see, and he quickly realised that she was probably right. Chloe did appear to have a crush on her best friend. And at first Jerry felt odd about it, wondering what would happen if it were true and if they eventually started dating. He and his wife's assumptions were strengthened when two years later Chloe had called them up and gushed about how Beca had got a promotion at work and needed someone to move to New York with her and she wanted to go but they were going to struggle financially if she did but she needed to go with Beca because Beca needed her and it would be the perfect opportunity for Chloe to find her way in the world instead of working at the local coffee shop for the rest of her life while living at home with her parents and if they could maybe help support her at least for the first month while they got settled then maybe they could give the move a go. That was the moment Jerry realised that her daughter really did have feelings for her best friend.

Several months after that, Jerry and Sue witnessed the first evidence that perhaps the young woman their daughter adored reciprocated those feelings. Jerry had been originally annoyed for his daughter, who was looking rather flustered and frustrated over FaceTime while waiting for Beca to get back to their Brooklyn apartment so she and the brunette could attend her local theatre company's opening performance that Chloe had choreographed. But his attitude towards Beca immediately changed the moment he saw the young woman appear in the kitchen doorway holding a bunch of flowers out to his daughter which were apparently Chloe's favourite kind. He wasn't one for reading body language, but he could tell from the long silence that had been held between Beca and his daughter while they stared into each other's eyes that something was bubbling between the two young women. And he found himself warming to the idea that it may not be too much longer before his daughter addressed her 'secret' feelings and confronted her best friend with them.

The Christmas just gone was the first time he'd seen his daughter mope since she was a teenager, but at twenty seven years old she'd proved she could still be capable of it. He'd never seen her staring at her phone so much. Jumping the second it chimed, then sighing when she realised it wasn't the person she'd been hoping it would be. Her brothers had teased her, asking if she had a boyfriend and that she needed to stop being so clingy waiting for him to text her back. By the third day of moping Sue had told Jerry she might need to hold an intervention and insist their daughter tell them what was bothering her. But an intervention hadn't been necessary because a matter of hours later Chloe had got the call she'd been waiting for. The brothers had grinned at her reaction to answering the call, having jumped up off her sofa and answering the phone excitably. They'd yelled over to her in teasing tones asking if it was her boyfriend, but they'd all ended up looking thoroughly disappointed when their little sister had informed them that it was just Beca, before dashing out into the back yard to continue the conversation in 'private'. Sue and Jerry had known from that moment on that their daughter still had it bad for her best friend and that Beca appeared to be the key to her happiness.

"Did you see the look on Chloe's face?" He heard his wife say to him as she shrugged her pyjamas on and Jerry grinned as he remembered, humming in acknowledgement. He'd seen it alright. His daughter's blue eyes had shone so brightly he feared he'd go blind. But it hadn't just been the look on Chloe's face that he'd noticed. He'd noticed just how wide Beca had smiled as Chloe had hugged her in the doorway when she'd explained why she was there. The two women were obviously besotted with one another, no matter how much they'd tried to hide it from Chloe's parents.

Jerry pulled his pyjamas on and looked over at his wife who had already slid into bed with her holiday novel.

"Do you think we did the right thing letting them share a bed?" he asked her, almost unsure of how he felt himself about the idea of letting his daughter share a bed with her girlfriend. He realised the stupidity of the question when his wife giggled, looking up from her book.

"Jerry they're in their mid-twenties!"

"Yeah but they're under our roof?"

Sue let out another giggle, pushing her reading glasses up to the top of her head and Jerry swallowed loudly as she raised her eyebrows at him with a grin, "So you're saying for the 300 and…60 nights of the year that they're under their own roof they're okay to share a bed but the 5 nights that they're here they can't?"

Jerry paused, furrowing his brow slightly, "They don't share a bed in New York. They have their own rooms!"

"Oh come _on_ Jerry are you _really_ trying to tell me that our daughter _doesn't_ sleep in the same bed as her girlfriend?"

Well when she put it that way Jerry knew how silly he sounded, "Um…"

"It's not like she's going to get pregnant…" Sue said with a chuckle as she shook her head slightly, pulling her glasses back down over her eyes and focusing back on her book.

Jerry felt his stomach lurch at the mention of the word 'pregnant', something that he'd feared his little girl accidentally getting herself into when she'd been a teenager and started dating boys. But now she was dating a girl it didn't really matter. Yeah. Sue was right, it wasn't like his daughter was going to get pregnant. And Beca seemed like a really nice kid. Someone who wouldn't violate Chloe in any way. And the more Jerry thought about it the less he worried that they'd made a bad decision to put a double bed in Chloe's bedroom and allowed Beca to share Chloe's bed during their stay. Sue was right, they probably shared a bed in New York anyway.

"Hang on! We pay a third of the rent of that two bedroom apartment in New York and you're saying they're only sleeping in one?!" Jerry exclaimed suddenly and his wife continued her attention on her book, responding slowly, "It's too late in the evening to be worrying about money sweetheart…"

Jerry began getting into bed but paused, letting out a sigh before standing up again. "Everything ok?" He heard his wife ask as he slowly made his way towards the bedroom door.

"Yeah I forgot a glass of water."

" _Jerry_!" his wife hissed at him and he stopped to look at her, wondering what was wrong, "You _can't_ go down there now!" Sue exclaimed with a sharp whisper, "Chloe's with Beca!"

"What would you rather I do? Go down there now when the most they could be doing is kissing? Or wait an hour…?" He knew he'd won this battle. Neither Jerry or Sue wanted to stumble upon their daughter getting up to any sort of mischief with any partners ever, no matter the gender. It had weirded them out enough when Chloe had had her first boyfriend as a teenager and had been big on kissing in public. Or rather, kissing _loudly_ in public.

His wife rolled her eyes in defeat, " _Fine_! But make sure you make enough noise that you give them plenty of time to…I dunno…make themselves presentable!"

Jerry tossed his hand towards his wife in a motion that suggested she was fussing too much and he crept out of the bedroom. He heard Sue mutter something about him not making enough noise and he knew she was right. Because at this moment, as he stood outside his bedroom door, he could hear the quiet sound of two people breathing heavily through their noses, and the distinct sound of two people kissing.

Jerry coughed loudly, before slowly making his way along the landing, clearing his throat as loudly as possibly before calling out, "Sue I'm just going downstairs to get a drink of water!" And he began making is way slowly downstairs, relieved to see that his daughter and daughter's girlfriend were currently busy gathering Beca's luggage and bringing it inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: Jerry is based a LOT on my Dad!


	22. Epilogue VII - Like A Fairytale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Sex. It happens. Well, it's hinted at BIG TIME in this chapter...]

The curtains of Chloe's bedroom floated delicately in the light mild breeze that drifted through the open window of the lake house, the sunlight peeking out and falling on two figures laying in the double bed. Chloe lay on her right side, her right hand propping her head up, a large imponderous bed sheet covering her naked body, tucked under her armpits. She smiled softly, sleepily, as she looked at the woman laying beside her. Beca was sprawled on her front, her head with its messy bed-hair turned towards the redhead, but the petite brunette remained fast asleep. The bed sheet that covered Chloe was also spread across her girlfriend, covering her naked body from the waist down.

Chloe let out a silent giggle as she saw Beca take a sharp intake of breath that bordered on being a snore before bringing a hand up in her sleep and wiping a bit of drool from her face. Chloe held her breath, as though any form of exhale may wake the beautiful woman beside her. When she was sure Beca was still asleep, Chloe reached her left hand out and began delicately glazing her fingertips slowly up and down her girlfriend's back, paying particular attention to the purple tattoo just above her right shoulder blade. As her index finger traced around the lines of the woman's tattoo Chloe sighed happily. She couldn't believe that she was here. Beca Mitchell. Laying naked in her bed. And that she was actually her girlfriend!

Chloe tried to imagine what it may have been like had a fairy godmother appeared before her at the Barden University A Capella Hood Night in her first attempt at senior year of college, and told her that in six years time that petite, unapproachable, beautiful alt-girl she struggled to keep her eyes off would one day end up naked with her, in her bed at her parent's lake house, following several hours of making-out, talking, giggling, and more making-out before _finally_ having sex. Then having sex again. And again. And _again_. Until Chloe had lost count of how many times she'd climaxed. Of how many times Beca had climaxed.

"Mmm that feels nice" she heard her girlfriend mumble drowsily, a smile growing on her face as she slowly began to open her eyes.

"Hi" Chloe whispered airily, her bright blue eyes catching a pair of deep blue eyes. She could tell as they held each other's gaze for a moment that Beca was remembering last night, noticing how the brunette glanced down at the soft skin between Chloe's breasts, at the dark hickey that had been marked on the woman several hours ago when they had been lost in a passionate tumble and Chloe had reluctantly insisted that if she had to mark her it better be somewhere her family couldn't see. An embarrassed grin grew on Beca's face, her cheeks flushing slightly, before she brought a hand up to her face and hid behind it for a moment, mumbling "Don't look at me. I bet I look hideous"

" _What_?!" Chloe squeaked, her voice rattling around the room followed by her loud giggle, "Shut _up_..." she said while reaching over to try to pull her girlfriend's hand from her face.

"It's true! How can I possibly be okay lying next to you when you look so… _serene_ , and I'm currently resembling the look of a troll!" Beca also seemed to have stopped whispering, or keeping her voice low in any sense of the word, something that wasn't too difficult seeing as the land surrounding the lake house was deadly silent save for the singing birds. And Chloe, laughing loudly whilst trying to prize Beca's hand away from her makeup-less face, couldn't believe the words she had just heard her girlfriend utter. Because yes, Beca looked stunning when she wore a full face of makeup. With heavy yet perfected eyeliner, fake eyelashes, and that light rose lipgloss that Chloe had bought her for her birthday four years ago and Beca had worn and bought ever since. But when Beca wore only mascara, and even when she didn't, when Beca didn't wear any make up at all Chloe found herself glancing at her even more, because the redhead found her so beautiful. Every bit of her. The way her lips parted to reveal dazzling white teeth. The way her few freckles, that were but a tenth of the freckles that Chloe boasted, collected across the top of her nose. And the way that nose crinkled and scrunched whenever the brunette laughed. Hearing Beca laugh was one of Chloe's _favourite_ sounds. And it was a sound she could hear right now, mixing with her own laughter, as she still tried to pull Beca's hand from her face.

Beca, in the midst of the adorable tustle, had managed to turn to face her girlfriend, finding it easier to hold her hand closer to her own face with both hands now available. The redhead broke her laughter to let out a squeal of surprise as Beca suddenly grabbed her wrist with both hands, and rolled onto her back, taking Chloe with her. The two women's giggles slowly subsided as they lay naked on top of each other and Chloe brought her hands out to rest either side of Beca's head, raising her upper body, wanting to get a proper look at her girlfriend and all her beauty.

Chloe felt a warmth glowing from deep within her soul as her bright blue eyes got lost in the deep blue eyes of Beca. Throughout her childhood she had read and been told fairytales of the Princess who one day found her Prince. Those stories had described how the Princess was so often trapped or cursed by an evil stepmother or evil queen, condemning the Princess to a life of misery until one day a Prince comes along and rescues her.

When she was a child Chloe always envisioned herself as a Princess and strongly believed that when she grew up she would one day find her Prince and they would immediately fall in love and get married and live happily ever after. There were never stories of a Princess meeting another Princess and them immediately falling in love, getting married and living happily ever after. And so Chloe spent her childhood and teens never once entertaining the idea that perhaps the person she would immediately fall in love with, and hopefully get married to, living together happily ever after in the process, would be a woman.

Yet here, lying beneath her, hands delicately tracing their fingertips along the small of her back causing a ripple of goosebumps to track their way across her skin, was Beca. And Chloe couldn't help the soft smile on her face as she continued to look into the brunette's eyes. The years that she had spent fawning over Beca had been similar to those fairytales. During the final two years at college when Chloe had harboured some of the deepest unrequited love for her best friend, looking at Beca and having to prevent herself from telling her how she felt, she'd felt almost locked away in a tall tower, much like Rapunzel had been. Coming to the brave decision to begin slowly weaning herself off Beca during their US Tour just after graduating from Barden was much like Cinderella when she had returned from the ball, having to try to forget how wonderful her time had been with the Prince, having to try to forget him like her evil step-mother had warned. Moving to New York and living with Beca, Chloe's deep feelings returning and burning brighter than ever, was like she had fallen into a deep slumber like sleeping beauty, blissfully unaware of life outside her own, because being with Beca in New York before their European Tour had been like living in a dream.

Then came that day four weeks ago, when Beca had revealed her feelings for Chloe, when they had gone on their first date, when they had had their first kiss. It was as though Beca had awoken Chloe from an evil spell. The curse of the unrequited love that she had been enduring for six years. A curse that had been broken by her one true love.

"Penny for them?" Chloe heard Beca ask, her fingertips now trickling their way up and down the length of skin on the redhead's back, and Chloe let out a soft airy giggle, shaking her head slightly as she bit her bottom lip. But Beca raised her eyebrows, a curious grin peeping from the corners of her mouth, and Chloe brought one of her hands up to tuck a long lock of her red hair behind her ear as she let out a content sigh, whispering, "I was just thinking about how happy you make me."

Her heart skipped a happy beat as she saw Beca roll her eyes, uttering a 'bleurgh' sound as she pretended to throw up and Chloe let out another loud laugh that tumbled around the quiet bedroom. Beca often made that noise when Chloe mentioned something mushy to her about their relationship. But the redhead knew her girlfriend well. She knew Beca wasn't one for PDA's and that any affection she gave wasn't necessarily rare, but it certainly wasn't ever given as a grand gesture. Nor was it ever delivered with cool grace. It was always subtle, and sometimes awkward or nonchalant, as though she didn't even realise what she was doing. Like the way her fingertips were currently glazing up and down Chloe's back. Chloe knew Beca probably didn't realise she was doing it and that was okay because Chloe knew, and it was enough affection for her to feel appreciated.

As their laughter subsided Chloe felt her heart soar as Beca reached a hand up, curling that pesky lock of long red hair back behind Chloe's ear. Beca's hand cupped her cheek and Chloe felt herself getting lost in her deep blue eyes as her girlfriend said with a coy grin, "You make me really happy too Chlo." And Chloe knew it. She saw the way Beca's eyes shone whenever the brunette looked at her. And she knew that Beca loved her. Not least of all because Beca had actually been the one to say the 'L' word first. And no, Chloe didn't mean 'lesbians'…though Beca _had_ also used that word to describe them first. Beca had confessed under her breath four days ago, while they ate breakfast hungover in Prague, that she loved Chloe. And yeah having only been together for three and a half weeks may, to many, have seemed a bit soon to be declaring their love for one another for the first time, but Beca had done it. And Chloe had been absolutely over the moon, having been taken by surprise that Beca had said it so soon. But if she hadn't then Chloe had planned on telling Beca she loved her just before she flew out to the lake house.

Chloe slowly twisted her face in Beca's hand, maintaining eye contact while she brought her lips to her girlfriend's thenar and kissed it tenderly. There was a brief pause as the two women held each other's gaze, happy just being together, Chloe on top of Beca, Beca's thumb delicately brushing Chloe's skin as she cupped her cheek. Then Chloe found herself slowly lowering her face towards her girlfriend's, that lock of red hair falling back down beside their heads as she softly kissed Beca, taking a deep intake of breath as though trying to pull the woman closer.

Beca's other hand that had been resting lazily on the small of Chloe's back was now pressing against her skin, trying to bring their bodies closer together, an action that was impossible. Chloe could feel heat beginning to billow from below the bedcovers as their kiss deepened and she opened her mouth to allow Beca's probing tongue to roll with hers.

…

Sue Beale sat back in her favourite garden chair that was one of a collection gathered around a large glass garden table on the wooden decking outside the back of the lake house. She looked out at the landscape before her with a relaxed smile, enjoying the warm breeze that drifted lightly in the air as the ray's of morning sunlight danced across the surface of the large lake at the bottom of their garden. Her ears pricked up as she heard the relatively faint sound of her daughter shrieking " _What_?!" from her bedroom that sat at the back of the property on the first floor of the lake house, her open window situated above the decking. Sue smiled as she heard Chloe let out a loud giggle followed by a "Shut _up..."_ which was said in such a tone that it sounded as though Chloe was being teased.

Suddenly the mother caught the sound of another voice coming from her daughter's bedroom. The sound of her daughter's best friend. Her daughter's girlfriend. And the tone of Beca's voice was unlike any tone she'd heard the petite brunette use before, "It's true!" she heard the woman call out to her daughter, "How can I possibly be okay lying next to you when you look so… _serene_ , and I'm currently resembling the look of a troll!" The tone used was one of amusement and affection and disbelief all rolled into one and Sue Beale found a wide smile spreading across her face as she heard the unmistakable sound of her daughter's loud hearty laughter exploding out of the open window above her. And the mother felt her heart swell as she soaked up every last note of her little girl's laugh. Because in the twenty seven years and ten months that she had known, loved, and nurtured her only daughter, she had never heard Chloe laugh like that before. Certainly not as an adult anyway.

It was at this very moment that Sue fully realised just how important Beca was. Important not only to Chloe, but important to Mr & Mrs Beale too. Because it was evident through Chloe's belly laugh that had sounded so sweet and warm and genuine that Beca was the light of her life. Perhaps even the love of her life. And this knowledge filled Sue Beale with a whole heap of hope and happiness that her daughter had finally found someone truly special to spend her life with. And so what if her own mother would disapprove of the relationship? Sue would cross that bridge when it came to it.

For now the only members of the family who knew of Chloe's girlfriend were Chloe's parents, her three brothers and their wives. Sue and Jerry had had to spend the weekend chatting in a private WhatsApp group titled " _ChloBo's Gir_ l" created by their youngest son Johnny, who had managed to capture the live Instagram video of Chloe declaring that she and Beca were dating, using some programme on his phone (Sue couldn't get her head around that side of technology) and sent it to the group that was made up of Sue, Jerry, himself, Michael, and Ryan. Both Sue and Jerry had informed their sons that Beca had turned up at the lake house and would be spending the rest of the week with them. They had also given the boys strict instructions to _not_ tease their little sister when they arrived, and to only bring the subject of her and Beca's relationship up if it came up in conversation.

Sue turned in her seat, smiling at her husband who was making his way out of the large open doors carrying two mugs of coffee. They had eaten breakfast an hour ago, hardly surprised that their daughter and Beca hadn't joined them despite it having been 9am. Jerry held out a mug of coffee to Sue before taking the seat beside her, grinning at his wife as the sound of their daughter's laughter still emanated from Chloe's open bedroom window. A laugh that stopped abruptly as Chloe let out a squeal of surprise before resuming her laughter that had been joined by Beca's laughter too. Sue could see it in her husband's face. She could tell he was also thrilled to hear how happy their daughter sounded.

The parents looked out at the view before them as the laughter slowly subsided. After several moments of quiet, with nothing more than the birds singing and the light rustling of leaves in the trees, some mumbling could be heard from the youngest Beale's bedroom. Suddenly a 'bleurgh' sound rang out and Sue let out a chuckle as her daughter could be heard laughing once again. From the sounds of things Chloe had said something sickly sweet that had caused the brunette to make a retching sound, which must be a common reaction based on the redhead's laughter.

The atmosphere went quiet again and Jerry brought his coffee up to his mouth, taking a sharp sip of the dark liquid. Suddenly his eyes widened as he looked over at his wife and she caught his eye, both feeling the colour drain from their faces slightly as they began to hear loud kissing and humming coming from the open window of their daughter's bedroom. Sue and Jerry didn't need to say anything to each other, their expressions enough to permit one another to leave the decked area. The couple levitated out of their seats, scuttling back into the house and through to the kitchen, which was the furthest room in the house from Chloe's bedroom and, from the sounds of things, the safest place to prevent the parents from any embarrassment over the next thirty minutes or so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chloe's Brothers will be arriving in the next chapter :)


	23. Epilogue VIII - The Beale Brothers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [The moment Beca & Chloe find out about that Instagram Live video...]

"Becaaa!" Came the groan from the walk-in closet, and the petite brunette furrowed her brow slightly at the tone. She pulled her jeans up over her hips and made her way towards Chloe's voice, stopping in her tracks as Chloe came out of the closet, hands on her hips, a disapproving look on her face, and Beca could see exactly why. Her jaw dropped open as her eyes weren't drawn to how hot her girlfriend looked in the pair of small denim shorts. No, her attention immediately flew to Chloe's white bikini top that was successfully covering her perfect breasts, specifically between those breasts was a noticeably dark purple and red mark that could be obviously seen protruding above and below the strap of the bikini that ran across the redhead's breastbone. Beca hadn't even realised she could open her mouth that wide, let alone leave a hickey so large in its wake that not even Chloe's favourite bikini top could cover it.

Beca bit her lip guiltily, wincing slightly as she looked up at her girlfriend's face, "Oops?" she said in a tone that sounded as though she was hopeful the woman would forgive her, but Chloe was _not_ impressed. The redhead huffed and strode back into the closet, presumably to try on a different bikini in the hope that it may cover a little more of the mark. But it hadn't. None of Chloe's bikinis had. And Beca had had to endure the next thirty minutes, sat on the edge of Chloe's bed, giving her the best advice possible about which bikini was the lesser evil when it came to hiding the huge hickey that appeared to get _darker_ as time went on.

They eventually came to the conclusion that the first bikini, Chloe's favourite bikini, was actually the only one that covered the most of the mark. "Right, so that's it then, I won't be able to go swimming this week." Chloe said dramatically, tears in her eyes, and Beca could sense the disappointed tone in the woman's voice.

"Hey, come on now Chlo, it's not _that_ bad," she said as she stood up from the bed, "maybe nobody will notice?"

"Maybe nobody will notice?!" Chloe echoed in a shrill tone. She paused, quickly glancing at her closed bedroom door as she heard her father walking along the upstairs landing, clearing his throat and whistling loudly as he made his way downstairs, and so Chloe lowered her voice "you haven't met my brothers before. The second they see this they'll immediately interrogate me about it. They won't stop Becs. They won't stop until they find out who gave it to me, and I'll end up having to tell them it was you!"

"Is that such a bad thing?" Beca could tell by Chloe's expression that she hadn't expected Beca to be okay with the prospect of them telling her family that they were in a relationship, the redhead clearly speechless, and so the brunette continued as she slowly walked up to her girlfriend, "Look they're gonna find out eventually Chlo," Beca reached her hands out and placed them on Chloe's hips, gently tugging so that the tops of their thighs met, "and I _really_ don't think I could stand spending the week lying to your family about how much I love you."

It was an uncharacteristic thing for Beca to confess out loud. If she were Chloe she'd be making that retching sound again to show just how mushy the words were. But Chloe was someone who adored mushy romantic stuff. And so a shy smile peeped out of the left-side of the redhead's mouth as she snaked her arms around Beca's waist.

"My brothers are going to tease us you know..."

"Let them tease."

"It'll get awkward…"

"Let it get awkward."

"They'll probably threaten you…"

"Let them threaten!" Beca said with a laugh, "there's nothing anyone could do to stop me Chlo. I'm sorry but you're stuck with me." And Beca's heart soared as Chloe let out a giggle, placing a quick kiss on her lips before moving back into the closet.

"I'm going to have to wear a top over my bikini to hide this hickey then…" the redhead said with a slight tinge of inconvenience in the tone of her voice.

"It's really not that bad, Beale."

"Easy for you to say, you don't have any hickeys to hide up."

Beca let out a sigh, making her way back to the bed, "Would it make you feel better if I let you give me a hickey now to make up for the hideous hickey I've given you?" She landed on the edge of the bed, waiting patiently as she heard Chloe fumbling about with presumably a top to put over her bikini.

"So you _do_ agree it's a hideous hickey?"

Beca rolled her eyes, leaning back on her right hand as she brought her left up to stroke the back of her neck, "Do you want to give me a pay-back hickey or not, Beale? Because this offer is expiring in twenty seconds…" and Beca grinned as she saw Chloe spring out of the closet with a broad smile on her face.

"Can I pick where it goes?"

"Um…" Beca wasn't quite sure why she was hesitating. Having a huge hickey wouldn't be as embarrassing for her as it would be for Chloe because her family would know that the youngest Beale would've administered it. So she knew Chloe would put some consideration into where the hickey might go.

"You picked where mine went…" Beca heard Chloe say seductively, and the redhead slowly walked over to the bed, "…so I think it's only fair…" Chloe reached a hand out, pushing gently on Beca's shoulder to encourage her to lay back on the bed. Which Beca happily obliged, her heart racing. "…that I get to choose…" Beca let out a longing sigh as she felt Chloe begin to slowly trail her tongue up her skin, from her navel to where her black bikini top rested over her small breasts "…where to put yours."

Beca almost expected Chloe to bite down and suck on the patch of skin at her breast bone. But the redhead merely kissed it. She noticed Chloe grinning at her. That grin she only ever wore when she was about to get up to mischief. And she watched as her girlfriend stood up and motioned for her to roll onto her front, which Beca did obediently, wondering what Chloe was planning.

Suddenly Beca jumped as she felt Chloe's mouth land on the small of her back, right where one of her tattoos lay, and her girlfriend managed to capture the skin between her teeth and suck hard. Beca could feel the blood vessels rising to the surface of the small of her back as the bruise began to take form and Beca tried to remain quiet, appreciating that while this painful action was payback, it was also turning her on as Chloe traced her fingertips across her upper back. A moan slipped out of Beca's mouth and the moment it had Chloe released her grip, placing a soft kiss over the patch she'd just sucked.

The brunette turned her head to look over her shoulder and her girlfriend was now stood, admiring her handiwork. Or rather _mouthiwork_. "There," Chloe said taking a deep satisfied breath, "now we're even."

…

Beca trundled into the kitchen behind Chloe, disappointed to see that the components of an infamous Beale breakfast had been packed away. Instead Sue seemed to be in the zone, cooking a spaghetti bolognese over the stove while Jerry was putting together a large salad. Beca looked over at the kitchen clock and couldn't quite believe it was almost midday already. She was sure she and Chloe had woken up about 10...

She watched as Chloe greeted her parents cheerily, and Beca gave a nod of hello to Mr & Mrs Beale when Jerry said in a teasing tone "Good afternoon you two…" Both women were now wearing tops that would hide their respective hickeys from the Beale's, and Beca realised just how relieved she was that they had been. She suddenly didn't think she could quite handle telling Sue and Jerry that she and Chloe were now in a relationship. If they saw the hickey on Chloe's body they would _hate_ her. Hate her for marking their little girl. Especially as it'd been done under their roof. And she really liked Chloe's parents, so it mattered to her what they thought.

"Did you get much sleep?" Beca froze at the question that Jerry had directed at both herself and Chloe, and she suddenly felt heat rising into her cheeks. They'd tried to be quiet when fumbling around last night, Chloe reassuring her with each room she dragged her into that her parents were heavy sleepers and wouldn't be able to hear them.

"Um…" she began nervously, but Sue had stepped away from the stove to subtly jab her husband in the side with a warning look as Jerry chuckled.

"We always find the first night in a new bed the most uncomfortable. We barely sleep." Sue offered with a kind smile before she resumed her position over the stove, turning the hob off, and Beca exhaled in relief.

"Right, yeah…no it's a really comfy bed so, I slept really well, thank you" Beca said politely. It was true, the bed that Chloe had here was far comfier than the bed either of them had back in their apartment in New York. So for the few hours sleep that she had got from about 3am onwards, Beca had slept _really_ well.

The sound of cars pulling up to the front of the house could be heard through the open window of the kitchen and Beca glanced over to look out of it. Her heart began to race, her palms getting a little sweaty as she saw several people getting out of three large cars. She recognised most of them from photos that Chloe had shown her over the years. But knowing who they were wasn't quite enough to rid Beca of her nerves.

There was a loud knock on the door and Sue Beale immediately dropped the large cooking spoon into the pot of bolognese with an excitable squeal. All of a sudden Beca understood where Chloe got her energy from as she watched Mrs Beale dash past them and out of the kitchen with a cheery "They're heeere!" Beca was took busy watching her reaction to notice Jerry wander up to Chloe and give her a reassuring pat on the back, before walking out of the kitchen to join his wife.

Then it happened. As the front door opened there was an explosion of noise and laughter and greetings and children squealing excitably as they were wrapped tightly in their grandparents arms and Beca felt a lump form in her throat. She wasn't nervous. She was _terrified_! Because this wasn't just her best friend's family she was meeting, it was her _girlfriend's_ family. And even though they didn't know the significance nor the formal title of her and Chloe's relationship, it was a big deal to the women. Beca felt her girlfriend take her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze, and the brunette turned as Chloe gave her a small wink and a soft smile. And in an odd way, Beca felt better.

Before she knew it though Chloe had dropped her hand and was now skipping out of the kitchen to greet her brothers. Beca heard little voices, presumably belonging to Chloe's nephews and niece, as they squealed out "Auntie Chloeee!" and the brunette smiled as she heard her girlfriend call out "my babieees!" followed quickly by a quiet "oof" and plenty of giggles from the littlest Beale's as they lumbered on top of their favourite Aunt. Beca slowly made her way to the door of the kitchen to peer out into the entrance hall. She could see Chloe, a pile of her nephews and one of her nieces in a bundle on the floor.

On one side of the little pile stood Sue and Jerry who were busy hugging and greeting two blonde women who Beca presumed by their ages were Claudia and Julie, Chloe's sisters-in-law. Another sister-in-law was stood with them balancing a one year old on her hip and Beca assumed this was Laura and the youngest of Sue and Jerry's grandchildren, Ellie. One the other side of the women, laughing at their children who had piled on their little sister, were the Beale brothers. All tall, slim and handsome with dark brown hair, rough stubble, and bright blue eyes. Their smiles were the same as Chloe's, broad and dazzling like their mother's. There was no mistaking that the Beale siblings were related.

"Alright you little monkeys let Auntie Chloe go for a minute so she can _actually_ breathe!" Beca saw one of the Beale brothers call out to the children who were currently in a heap on the floor with Chloe _somewhere_ beneath them. It was Michael, the eldest Beale brother. She remembered Chloe showing her a photo of him once. Michael reached out to help his sister up off the floor as the kids all dispersed outside, and she hugged him tight squeaking "Its so good to see you Mikey!"

"You too Chlo-Bo!" Beca loved that despite the eight year age difference Chloe was still close to her eldest brother. And ' _Chlo-Bo_ '? Now _that_ was a nickname she was going to have to remember to ask the family about later. The Beale's were such an affectionate family that even seeing the men hug as a greeting didn't seem surprising. What did seem surprising however, was what happened next. Because Beca, who was stood quietly and innocently enough in the doorway, felt her heart jump with an almighty crash against her rib cage as she saw the eldest brother let go of Chloe and ask the redhead, "Now where's this _girlfriend_ of yours huh?"

And Beca became so overwhelmed with shock that she didn't have time to gauge Chloe's reaction, which was far more shocked than hers. She didn't have time to fully appreciate Sue Beale's warning tone as she told Michael to stop. And she froze as everyone turned to look at her, another Beale brother, Ryan, grinning at her as he warmly exclaimed, "Beca!"

Beca clammed up, swallowing loudly as Ryan, Michael, and the other Beale brother Johnny all pushed their way past their little sister to greet the petite brunette. They shook her hand with great enthusiasm, grinning like idiots as they introduced themselves one by one before introducing their respective wives, each of whom waved politely with big smiles. Beca was sure they would've introduced their respective children too but the kids had all disappeared, something about a treehouse out the back...

"We've heard nothing but great things about you from Mom and Dad" Michael said and Beca peered past them at Sue and Jerry who suddenly looked a little embarrassed and Beca was stunned. How had Chloe's _parents_ found out?!

Fortunately Chloe appeared to be on the same wavelength as Beca and all of a sudden the redhead raised her voice to draw the attention of her big brothers, her sisters-in-law, her parents, and her girlfriend, "Er _excuse me_? Can somebody _please_ tell me how me and Beca dating has become public knowledge?"

"Er _excuse_ me but next time try not to declare your love for the woman live on Instagram if you don't want it to become public knowledge yeah?" Ryan mocked his little sister with a grin, and evidently Chloe's facial expression was far too funny for the brothers who all laughed loudly, dashing over to their sister to put their arms around her in a group hug, the redhead initially struggling in their embrace then giving up with a huffy sigh.

"Aww poor little Chlo-Bo…" Michael mocked in a patronising voice.

"You're such an idiot, Bo," Johnny said to his sister with a chuckle, reaching for his phone and looking for something on it, "you said on Instagram last week that you and her were dating. You said you _loved_ her!" And Beca couldn't help the small smile that was beginning to creep across her face. She hadn't been on Instagram since before they'd gone on the European Tour with The Bella's. So she had no idea Chloe had done that.

"Come on Beca, you'd better see this too" the youngest brother piped up, and Beca found herself wandering towards Chloe, the brothers making a gap for her so she could stand beside the redhead. And the next two minutes and fifteen seconds became the longest two minutes and fifteen seconds of her life. It was the video Fat Amy had taken of the two women during the last night of their tour in Prague, in the kitchen of the apartment they'd rented. She cringed inwardly, sympathising with her girlfriend as every one of the Beale's had a good chuckle at Chloe's drunken expense

When the video ended Beca glanced at the redhead and noticed the colour had drained from her face, her jaw open in shock, and Beca completely understood why. This had _not_ been the way they'd expected people to find out. "Delete that video." Chloe said sharply to Johnny, but the man simply brought the phone to his chest with a grin, stepping back from his little sister.

"No way."

"Johnny delete it _now_!" Beca could sense an irritation in Chloe's voice that she'd never heard before and she wondered if it was one she reserved exclusively for her brothers whenever they teased her. Something Beca was sure had happened on and off for Chloe's entire life.

"I'm not deleting this video, Bo." Johnny said defiantly, waving his phone in front of her nose. Chloe reached out to try and swipe it from his hand but the man was too quick, letting out a chuckle as his sister's anger bubbled away, her voice rising with each word she spat out.

"Johnny I _swear_ to _God_ if you don't delete that video _now_ I'm going to tear _every last bit_ of _hair_ from your _stupid head_!"

The brother's grin dropped as he held his hands up in surrender, "Okay okay, calm down…" he said quietly and Chloe took a deep breath to try to calm herself, but the silence didn't last long as the man grinned once again, "…I just thought it would be a nice video to play at your wedding."

"Right that's _it_!" Chloe screeched and she lunged for her brother, grabbing him by the waist and wrestling him to the ground. The three Beale brothers laughed loudly as their wives tutted, despite the bemused smiles on their faces. Beca found herself also grinning as she watched Chloe try to beat her big brother up.

It wasn't long before Sue Beale's voice rang out above the grunts and yelps of frustration from her two youngest children who were tussling on the ground before her, " _Enough_!" and Beca jumped. She never imagined Chloe's mother being someone who was ever capable of having the sharp tone of voice that was necessary to tell someone off, let alone actually going through with it, but Beca remembered that this was the woman who had brought up three sons and a fiery red haired daughter,

"Chloe _get off_ your brother! Johnny _stop_ teasing your sister!" Chloe rolled off her brother with a frown, getting to her feet as Johnny jumped up to stand beside her, brushing himself down with a slight smirk, " _Honestly_ , you're nearly 28 and 32. _Grown adults_. And you're acting like _children_!" Her tone of voice gave Beca the impression that seeing these two Beale's squabble wasn't an uncommon occurrence, "Chloe, _stop_ embarrassing yourself in front of your girlfriend…" Beca saw Sue turn to her for a moment to apologise for her children's behaviour, before resuming her focus on her sons who were now stood in a row all grinning at Chloe, "And boys, wipe those smirks off your faces! You've disobeyed your father and myself after we _explicitly_ told you not to say anything to your sister until she was ready to tell us herself. And what do you do? You _immediately_ bombard Beca with handshakes and introductions."

Beca found it somewhat amusing to see the three grown men stood before her looking sheepishly at one another, then over at their parents. "Now, what do you have to say to Chloe?" Sue asked her sons, her hands on her hips, and the Beale brothers turned to their sister, quietly apologising, "And to Beca?" Beca swallowed loudly, not really knowing why Chloe's brothers were being forced to apologise to her, but they turned to her all the same,

"Sorry Beca"

"Yeah sorry Beca"

"Sorry"

"Well now, that was all painfully unnecessary." Sue Beale said with a roll of her eyes and a heavy sigh, "Boys take your things up to your bedrooms, lunch will be ready soon. Your father will help."

"Will I?" Jerry asked in surprise, turning to his wife, but she merely looked at him and the man knew that look. It meant he was to have a quiet word with their sons in private. "Right, yeah, come on boys. Let's leave the women to sort the lunch out eh?" It was a risky comment given his wife's current mood that had been caused by their adult children's immaturity, but he was lucky that Sue was already making her way back into the kitchen with a slight shake of her head.

Beca was still frozen to the spot, not entirely sure what to do. She noticed Chloe furrow her brow slightly as her eyes followed her mother and before Beca knew what was happening, her girlfriend had begun to walk into the kitchen, taking hold of Beca's hand as she moved past her, dragging her along with her. The two women stopped by the island that stood in the centre of the kitchen. Sue Beale had begun pulling plates out of the kitchen cupboard to prepare for lunch, while Claudia, Julia, and Laura joined her. They each began gathering cutlery and glasses to set the table out the back of the property. But Chloe and Beca remained where they were, hand in hand.

"Mom, if you already knew about me and Beca, why didn't you _say_ anything?"

The older women paused, looking over at the young redhead and her girlfriend and Beca felt her mouth go dry. It was a valid question. One that she wanted to know herself. So she waited with baited breath as Sue set the plates down on the island beside her, "Because sweetheart," the mother said softly as she walked slowly around to her daughter, "you and Beca. Your relationship and whatever you do in your relationship. That's your life. Your business." And the older woman stopped beside Chloe, reaching out and tucking some of her red hair behind her ear before affectionately cupping her cheek, "Besides, I can see how happy you make each other. How happy Beca has _always_ made you." and Sue Beale gave Beca a warm smile before returning to the stove with a giggle, "After all, it would be no good if your mother started meddling in your happiness now would it."

"You're not a meddler" Beca found herself quickly saying, and the rest of the women in the kitchen turned to look at her with soft smiles, "I mean…we were going to tell you today…Chloe and I, we decided…well we didn't want to lie to you so…" And Beca's mind went blank as she struggled to put into words how much she valued Sue and Jerry Beale's love and kindness, how much she respected them. So she stopped talking. She felt Chloe squeeze her hand affectionately, and the brunette turned to look at her girlfriend whose bright blue eyes shone out at her. A sight that made Beca immediately relax and she smiled softly at Chloe, who had now dropped her hand and instead placed her hand in the back pocket of the brunette's jeans, cupping her ass affectionately before turning back to her mother.

"So you two _are_ official?" Julia asked, noticeable excitement in her voice.

Beca didn't know why Chloe turned to her, as though double checking that they were actually official. Of course they were. She wouldn't be here, stood with her, like this, if they weren't. And so Beca just winked at the redhead, snaking her arm slowly around her waist.

"Yep" Chloe replied proudly, grinning broadly at the women of her family.

"We're _so_ thrilled for you Chlo!" Laura said with an encouraging wink.

"Yeah we were only just saying in the car ride over here that it's nice to see you looking so happy Chloe" Claudia said brightly, having known Chloe for almost eighteen years, since around the time of Chloe's tenth birthday.

Beca felt her cheeks flushing slightly in embarrassment and as she heard Jerry Beale's whistle come down the stairs she brought her hand from around Chloe's waist awkwardly. She didn't know if it was something to do with the intimidation of the father-figure, but Beca always felt a need to tone-down the scrap of affection she gave Chloe in public when Jerry was near. She could only imagine how protective the man was of his only daughter, and as such she wanted to prove to him just how much she respected him and the role he played in Chloe's life. A role that was ten times the role her own father played in hers.

Her father. Beca's mind drifted slightly as she wondered if her father had also seen the video on Instagram. She knew he was on there from time to time, often posting similar photos of the Barden University Campus and how 'beautiful' it looked in the sun. She knew he followed _The Barden Bella's_ Instagram page. But had he seen the live video? No, he can't have. He would've contacted her by now if he had. But what if he'd been like The Beale's and was just waiting for her to tell him? Beca felt her palms get sweaty again. Never mind her being nervous about The Beale's. The real challenge would be telling her father.

"Sorry about my sons, Beca," Jerry said as he sauntered into the kitchen, reaching out and plucking a tomato from the salad he had made earlier, "the years can go on and they can all age but at their core they're still Chloe's brothers. And for some reason they still feel a need to make their little sister's life a misery."

"They're alright really…" Chloe said brightly with a shrug, not noticing the way her father glanced suspiciously at where his daughter's hand might have disappeared to. But Chloe's hand in Beca's back pocket was the least of his worries and Beca hated to think what his reaction would be if he found out about their hickeys.


	24. Epilogue IX - Initiation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Holding hands is silly according to one of Chloe's nephew's...]

There were little squeals of delight as six year old Samuel Beale raced after his cousins, trying to drench them with water from the hose pipe that he held in his hands. Close behind him was a young black Labrador who appeared to be having as much fun as the children, opening his mouth wide to catch the water whenever it was sprayed in his direction. The dog was only a year old, technically classed as a puppy, but was just large enough to successfully carry Sammy on his back whenever the boy clambered onto his pet.

Despite Sue and Jerry telling their youngest son that he and his fiancée were mad for getting a puppy at the same time as having a baby, Johnny and Laura had gone ahead with the commitment anyway, wanting their children to grow up with the puppy. And Chloe couldn't have been more excited to know that there was finally a dog in the family. She'd practically cried when she had first met Max the Labrador at the lake house over Christmas.

"Sammy, spray away from the house please!" Laura called out to her son, who had a mischievous grin on his face, chasing Oliver and Jack who ran together towards the house before splitting and running in opposite directions. Chloe giggled as she saw the boy stop suddenly, as though trying to decide which twin to run after. It didn't really matter which he went after as being two years older than them was a huge advantage. What wasn't an advantage though was being in a water fight with his older cousins, and Sammy shrieked loudly as his eldest cousin, Eva, emptied a huge bucket of water over his head, before running off with a cackle to fill the bucket up again. This was closely followed by another bucket of water thrown at him from the side by Eva's brother and the second eldest cousin, Hunter.

Chloe tried to stifle a laugh as her drenched nephew dropped the hose pipe and began to wail. But the Beale men were relaxed fathers, taking after Jerry for their teasing nature. So Johnny merely called out to his son, "Oh relax Sam, you're alright!" but the six year old staggered up to the decking, joining the adults who were all sat around the large outdoor glass dining table, wiping the water from his eyes.

Samuel approached his mother who pushed his floppy soggy dark brown hair from his face with a grin, saying sweetly "See that's what happens when you have the best water weapon Sammy, someone always sneaks up on you." And the little boy tried to clamber up into Laura's lap, but Johnny was quicker than their son, and managed to keep him from getting his fiancée soaked by pulling the six year old onto his lap instead.

"Can we go swimming yet?" The little Beale asked his mother as he looked over at her with big blue eyes. The kids had been dying to go swimming in the lake since they had arrived at their grandparents lake house two hours ago. Chloe's stomach lurched. She'd almost forgotten for a moment about the huge hickey that currently lurked between her breasts. Dark and brooding. And she reached out for her glass of lemonade as she heard her mother say that they would soon go swimming once their food had settled properly.

"Oh that means you don't have long to get Eva back, Sammy! You'd better go get her!" Michael said to his nephew enthusiastically and it appeared this was enough for the six year old to cheer up and scramble out of his father's arms to race back out to the large grassy area at the back of the house. The adults laughed, resuming their focus on their drinks or the children that dashed about the lawn to avoid the water that came from the hose pipe as Sammy raced after his cousins.

"Are you a keen swimmer Beca?" Claudia asked the young woman, leaning into the table slightly to look past Chloe, who had turned to her right where her girlfriend sat. Chloe saw the brunette hesitate. She wouldn't have ever used the word 'keen' to describe Beca's opinion of swimming. It wasn't that the woman didn't like it. She knew how to swim. She just wouldn't ever be gagging to go swimming if the opportunity arose. Chloe on the other hand, she adored swimming. Spring and Summer had always been Chloe's favourite time of year because it meant plenty of visits to the outdoor pool back home, or full days spent in the lake behind their lake house.

"Um…yeah, I can swim? Never really did it much growing up, you know, the curse of being an only child so…I wouldn't say I'm a keen swimmer. But I can swim."

The Beale's chuckled at Beca's answer and Chloe was relieved to see a smile grow slightly on her girlfriend's face, and the redhead found herself bringing a hand up to pick off a rogue long hair from Beca's top. She was impressed with how quickly the brunette had appeared to settle into conversations with her family around the dinner table, knowing how intimidated Beca often felt within large numbers of people she'd only just met. And to her relief her brothers hadn't been entirely intrusive. Little did she know this was because of the conversation her father had had with them before lunch...

Her eldest niece had insisted on sitting next to Chloe during lunch. They had always been very close since Eva had been born and Chloe knew this was likely due to the fact that Eva and Chloe were the only two redhead's in the family. Sue Beale had once been a redhead, but it had turned to a lighter, more strawberry blonde, colour since entering her fifties. And naturally the ten year old had become curious about Beca, whose side Chloe hadn't left since the rest of the family had arrived.

_"I want to sit next to Auntie Chloe!" Eva declared as she dashed onto the decking before her cousins, racing around to join her favourite Aunt who had just sat down beside Beca._

_Chloe giggled, pulling out the chair beside her for her niece to sit on, "Come on Pickle" she said as the little redhead dove onto the seat, allowing her Aunt to push her up to the table. Chloe brought her right hand down and reached over to her girlfriend, resting the palm of her hand on Beca's left thigh. She couldn't stop the smile that was spread across her face as she felt her girlfriend take her hand without looking at her, and the redhead looked at her family who took the seats around the table. On the other side of her niece sat Eva's mother Claudia, then Hunter, then Samuel, and opposite them were Jack, Oliver and their mother Julia. Opposite Chloe sat Laura and opposite Beca sat Ellie in a high chair, with Johnny sat the other side of the one year old. To Beca's right sat Michael, then Ryan, and opposite Ryan sat five year old Noah who had desperately wanted to sit beside his grandfather. At either end of the long table sat Sue and Jerry Beale, able to see their entire brood as they dished out the spaghetti bolognese Sue had made for lunch. Beca's favourite._

_"Who's that?" Chloe heard Noah ask his grandad loudly, pointing obviously at Beca and Chloe felt her cheeks begin to flush slightly as she saw Beca gulp. In the midst of the shock, excitement and relief of having the adults of her family finding out about her dating Beca, Chloe had completely forgotten that her nephews and niece didn't yet know._

_"This is Beca," Michael said to his youngest son, motioning to the young woman beside him with a warm smile, "she's Auntie Chloe's girlfriend."_

_"Girlfriend?" Noah exclaimed loudly in disbelief and the adults grinned as the young boy laughed loudly, "but Auntie Chloe's a girl! She can't have a girlfriend!"_

_"Your Daddy's right Noz, Beca's my girlfriend." Chloe said with a bemused smile and she turned to her niece as the ten year old quickly piped up, "Is that why you're holding hands?"_

_Chloe felt Beca squeeze her hand almost instinctively but she merely smiled softly down at Eva who looked up at her with bright blue inquisitive eyes, her little brow furrowed slightly, "Yeah Evie, that's why we're holding hands."_

_"Holding hands?" Noah laughed loudly again and Chloe heard her girlfriend let out a chuckle as the family all grinned at the little boy who now looked down at the plate that his grandfather had just placed before him, "That's silly!" he said shaking his head slightly._

_"Well that's love kid…"_

_Chloe felt her heart jump into her mouth, her jaw dropping slightly, a soft smile creeping across her face as she turned to look at her girlfriend, amazed at what she'd just said to her little nephew. The family fell silent with a clatter of dropped cutlery as they all stared at the brunette, surprised by the casual comment about love. They knew that this thing between Chloe and Beca was something that made Chloe very happy, but many of them had presumed that due to the brunette's unaffectionate, shy, awkward nature the two woman hadn't declared their love for one another. Well not officially anyway (the video of drunk Chloe declaring it not counting in their eyes). Nor could they guarantee that Beca even felt this way about the redhead, Chloe being so overly open about loving things and people and Beca seemingly not. Beca had already taken a bite of garlic bread but slowed her chewing to a stop as she saw the sets of eyes on her._

_"What?" She said swallowing her mouthful, "Should…" Chloe saw her girlfriend turn to her with a worried expression, "...was I too mean?" But Chloe simply shook her head, closing her mouth and giving Beca a content smile. The brunette continued though, trying to justify her comment, "I just…holding hands...that's-" she turned quickly back to Noah to address the five year old who still stared at his aunt and aunt's girlfriend blankly, "-it's what you do when you're in love kid. You hold hands and stuff…so…yeah…"_

_Chloe's heart was racing as she heard Beca's sentence trail off awkwardly and she squeezed her hand reassuringly with a soft smile. Beca had moved her attention to the bottle of beer that Jerry had kindly brought through for her when they had sat down and took a swig of the liquid. Chloe felt her cheeks flush slightly in embarrassment. She could feel the eyes of her family on her._

_She dared to glance at her brother opposite her, half expecting him to tease the two of them rotten, Johnny being the leader of the Beale brothers when it came to teasing her. He was usually the mastermind. But to her surprise Johnny wasn't looking at her, he was looking at Beca with an expression she'd never seen on his face before. And the redhead couldn't put her finger on what it was about this expression. He was smiling but his smile wasn't jokey or teasey, it was calm and…soft._

"Well Chloe can show you what being a keen swimmer is like," Sue Beale said to Beca with a chuckle, motioning to her daughter who was on her right, "it takes forever to get this one out of the water once she's in!"

Chloe took another sip of her lemonade nervously. She was going to have to say something. Not to explain everything, but to at least give her family some warning that despite being a water-baby she wasn't going to be taking a dip this week, "Um, actually I don't feel much like swimming today" she said casually, and it was no surprise to her when her brothers, sisters-in-law, and parents all turned their attention from the children on the lawn to her, their mouths open in shock.

Ryan was the first to break the silence, "What, do you have a hickey you can't hide in a bikini or something sis?" And Chloe felt herself blush, raising her eyebrows slightly as she shrugged, taking another long sip of lemonade from her glass, "Oh my god you do!"

"Ryan don't start please!" Sue said with a warning tone, but by now all the brothers were grinning, as were their wives. Michael had turned to his left and clapped Beca on the back with a laugh and a "Nice one Bec!" taking the petite brunette entirely by surprise, causing her to cough slightly, not daring to glance at whatever expression Jerry Beale had on his face right now.

"It's not a huge hickey," Chloe found herself protesting. She couldn't look at her parents now. Especially not her father, who hadn't been laughing as loudly as her brothers but was certainly chuckling which meant he found some entertainment in her embarrassment, "its..just in a position that…can't be covered properly by any of my bikinis."

"Well now you have to show us Chlo!" Laura said with a giggle, having leant back in her seat to watch the young women opposite her squirm in embarrassment. There was a pause as Chloe rattled through the options. Either she kept the hickey hidden and risked her and Beca being interrogated and worn down over the next few days until she eventually showed them. Or she got it over and done with now and just showed them, made do with the teasing which would last the rest of the day maximum, and enjoy the rest of the week swimming. Beca was screwed either way. The family knew there was a hickey on Chloe and the only culprit was the quiet, petite brunette.

So Chloe let out a big sigh, pushing her chair back with a scrape and stood up. She paused as the members of her family leant forward to watch her like hawks. She could tell from the look on her brothers' faces that they were poised to laugh loudly. She still couldn't bring herself to look at her parents.

Chloe's heart was hammering against her rib cage as she brought her hands to the bottom of her floaty top and gently pulled it up to above her bikini top, tucking it under her armpits. Several loud horrified gasps sounded from each member of her family, along with a wince and quiet "ouch" from Laura, and a squeal from Julia as the Beale's saw the true extent of what Chloe meant by 'a little hickey'. Chloe thought she'd even heard her father swear under his breath, something that may be the reason why Beca had cringed, putting her head in her hands momentarily, before looking back up at the redhead with wide eyes.

Chloe looked down at the patch of skin between her breasts, at the hickey that was situated over her breastbone and her stomach dropped. The bruising appeared to have got progressively worse since she'd last properly inspected it in the mirror before coming downstairs earlier. But perhaps that was down to the bright sunshine that was hitting her pale skin at that moment in time? It was certainly far larger than she remembered.

It was her own fault though, she'd told Beca she could do it. She'd wanted her to do it, in the thick of the first of their many passionate embraces last night. Beca had been chivalrous, checking with Chloe which patch of skin would be best as she'd slowly trailed her tongue and mouth across the skin of her chest, breasts and torso. And Chloe had been so impatient that she'd insisted that Beca just do it already. And at that time Beca's tongue had been swirling around Chloe's breastbone

"It's always the quiet ones huh. Top work mate" Johnny said with a laugh and Chloe watched her brother lean over the table, holding a hand out to Beca for a high five. Beca, who had been looking up at Chloe as she bit her lip guiltily, turned in her seat, staring at the hand in shock. Then slowly, tentatively, the brunette brought a hand out and Johnny high-fived it with gusto.

"Johnny that's your sister!" Laura said to her fiancé in a sharp tone and she reached out to lightly slap him on the arm as the man chuckled.

"Yeah but it's funny!"

Chloe quickly pulled her top down and returned to her seat, her cheeks still flushed with embarrassment. She cleared her throat, taking another sip of fresh lemonade before glancing nervously at her mother while addressing the rest of the table, "Right well, now you know why I won't be swimming can we move on to a different subject please?" She said with a sigh, still not daring to look at her father, so she looked down at the glass of lemonade on the table before her. Fortunately the man stood up from the table, clearing his throat slightly, mentioning something about going to the kitchen for more beers.

"Chloe, sweetheart, now we know about your…little mark…" her mother was being far too polite, it was hardly little, "you might as well go swimming later. You can borrow one of my t-shirts to put over your bikini if that'll make things easier"

Chloe bit her bottom lip as she considered the offer. She was tempted. Her mother always knew the right things to say, "And what if the kids see it?" the redhead asked, but her brothers were quick to offer their advice and Chloe sighed as she leant on the left arm of her chair, her left hand holding her left cheek as she rested her head against it, patiently waiting for the onslaught. It had only been a matter of time.

"Oh we can tell them you fell" Ryan said with a smirk.

"Ryan…" Julia warned her husband from the other end of the table.

"Yeah onto Beca's mouth" Michael nudged Beca's arm causing the brunette to bring a hand to her face in embarrassment.

"Michael!" Sue told her eldest son off, the man who should know better.

"And she couldn't get up because there was a sucker attached" the youngest son said with a grin and his brothers laughed loudly, each giving Johnny a high five.

"Johnny!"

"Oh relax Mom...this is the initiation, Chlo knows that" Ryan said, grinning at his little sister and Chloe simply rolled her eyes. Because they were right, this was the initiation. Her brothers had always gone out of their way to tease the guys that she'd brought home to meet the family. Okay, so it had only been the one 'friend' during the middle of high school, her first proper boyfriend at the end of high school, and a guy that she'd had a summer thing with between her sophomore and junior years at college. But for all three of those times her brothers had teased painfully, making each of her 'boyfriends' uncomfortable. So much so that often the relationship didn't work out much more than six weeks after meeting the Beale brothers.

This time seemed different though and that was for a number of different reasons. For the first and most obvious part, she hadn't brought a guy home to meet her family, Beca was a girl. And not just any girl, her best friend. The second reason this time felt different was because Chloe's feelings for Beca were unlike any feelings she had had for anyone in her life. Ever. She loved her. And not just a casual "ahh you're so cool I frikkin love you" kind of way. No, Chloe loved Beca with every bone in her body, with her every being, with her entire soul. A love that had been established as a baseline the moment she had first seen her across the activities fair six years ago and had just grown and flourished since then until now. Now Chloe was besotted with her. She simply adored her. She'd tumbled head over heels in love with her. Barely a thought crossed her mind that wasn't at least tainted with the essence of Beca. Everything she did, she did with her in mind. And many people would put this down to the honeymoon period that couples experience at the beginning of their relationship. But Chloe had felt this way about Beca for six years. There was no way she would ever bring herself to stop. Because Beca was her everything.

Other indications that this time was different came courtesy of her brothers. Because with previous guys she had brought home to meet her family none of her brothers had ever high fived them. But Johnny had high fived Beca. None of them had clapped the 'boyfriends' on the back and certainly not congratulated them on marking their little sister (mostly because Chloe had never allowed her past 'boyfriends' to mark her). But Michael had congratulated Beca as well as clapped her on the back. And while it had certainly been several years since she had taken the leap and allowed her brothers to meet someone she was 'seeing', they had never introduced Chloe's 'boyfriend' to whichever niece or nephew that may have been around at the time (which had more often than not been Eva, the eldest of that generation of Beale's). Michael could have easily told Noah that Beca had simply been Auntie Chloe's friend. But no, it had been clearly established by her eldest brother that Beca was Chloe's girlfriend.

Chloe watched her father return from the kitchen with a soft smile, handing a beer to his sons and one to Beca which the brunette took with a sheepish grin. This was the first time Chloe had dared to look at her father. She saw a warm smile spread across his face as he caught her eye and she almost found herself breathing a sigh of relief. Okay perhaps he wasn't too mad about the mark. She couldn't be sure why he seemed alright about it though. Was it because Beca was a woman and he couldn't get too mad with a woman? Was it because Chloe had been honest about it and the embarrassment of having to confess to the hickey was punishment enough?

The men reached in, clinking bottles, Beca joining them when Michael nudged her arm in encouragement. And suddenly it occurred to Chloe. The reason why her father wasn't mad about the mark. The reason why this time was different than all the previous times she had let her 'boyfriend' meet her family. It was because her father and brothers actually liked Beca! And this knowledge made Chloe's heart soar.


	25. Epilogue X - Comparisons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [What do the men in Chloe's life think of Chloe's girlfriend?]

Jerry reached into the dishwasher, pulling out the first tray of clean plates to put away in the kitchen cupboards. That was the thing about having a full house again, the dishwasher was constantly on the go. He looked over at the kitchen clock. 9pm. The women had taken the children upstairs almost an hour ago to get them bathed and settled for bed. Chloe had joined them but, as she had done for the previous two nights that the Beale brothers had been at the lake house, the woman had insisted her girlfriend stay downstairs with the men. And Jerry noticed that Beca really hadn't minded. In fact she'd almost seemed relieved. As though 'night duty' with the children was her idea of hell. So at this moment in time Beca was sat in the back garden with the Beale brothers, drinking beers whilst they all sat around a large fire.

Over the past couple of days the Beale brothers had been relatively well behaved in regards to teasing Beca, saving the good stuff for their little sister who hadn't held back the sting in her slaps as she lashed out in retaliation. This action was often met by rolls of laughter from her brothers, all of whom found that the joy of their sister's embarrassment greatly outweighed the pain of the slaps to their arms or thighs. Despite the teases though, Jerry had been told privately on several occasions by his sons that they really liked Beca. And Jerry had to agree with them. Beca had really slotted into the family well.

" _I think Chloe actually drew blood when she scratched me!" Jerry heard his youngest son complain as Johnny reached the top of the stairs of the attic. The men had helped their father bring the suitcases to the correct rooms, as instructed by their mother, and were now gathering in the centre of the attic where the children would be sleeping for the rest of the week._

_"Well you had it coming son" Jerry said with a chuckle as he began sliding one of the kids suitcases over to the first of three single beds that lined one end of the attic._

_"Oh come on Dad it was harmless banter" Johnny protested, running his palm over his upper-arm, a clear streak of red scratch marks visible on his skin._

_"Harmless banter that wound your sister up…" Jerry said in a serious tone. He could tell by his sons' expressions that they couldn't quite understand why their father seemed less sympathetic than normal. Normally the patriarch would laugh along with the men, loving the dynamic between all four of his children. But the atmosphere in the attic seemed different, and they all sensed it._

_"You've never minded us teasing her in the past" Michael said curiously, wondering why his father was acting differently than normal._

_"Yeah well in the past you weren't teasing her about Beca…"_

_The three brothers looked at each other as their father's sentence rang in their ears and the room went silent. In the past whenever they'd discussed Chloe's boyfriends it had always been Jerry who has led the dislike of any young man that entered Chloe's life. Behind closed doors and away from the ears of Sue, the Beale men would agree that the 'boyfriend' was not good enough for Chloe, and that if he stood the test of time it would be ultimately down to the challenging week they would often make him endure. If he liked Chloe enough, he'd make it work. And each young man failed. It killed them that it ended in heartache for the redhead, but they did it for her own good. To protect her._

_"So what do you think of Chloe's girlfriend?" Jerry asked his sons, breaking the silence. He liked Beca a lot and he hoped they would too._

_Chloe's first 'boyfriend' had been the opposite of Beca. He'd been tall and loud and overbearing, having the nerve to call him 'Jerry' before Chloe had even formally introduced them. Jerry hadn't liked that. He also hadn't liked the way the young man constantly had his arm around his daughter. It made the boy seem dominating and Chloe didn't deserve to be with someone who held her back from doing anything. And the kissing. There'd been far too much kissing going on for Jerry's liking. Fortunately the Beale men made quick work of the little twerp, Jerry having called his sons for reinforcements, and within ten days of meeting him they'd been delighted to hear that he'd dumped Chloe. She was better off without him_

_"I like Beca" Ryan said with a grin, "but I guess we'll know by the end of the week if she's right for our little sister huh?"_

_Chloe's second 'boyfriend' had been someone she'd been seeing on and off at college and had brought him to the lake house for a week during spring break. This guy had also been tall, but not nearly as loud as the previous. The problem with this one though was that he'd had a habit of looking at Chloe in a way that made The Beale's uncomfortable. Even Sue had noticed it. They'd often find the young man looking down Chloe's top as she spoke, or checking out her ass as she walked away from him. He hadn't been subtle about looking and so he'd been told by Sue and Jerry that he had to sleep on the sofa while at the lake house. Again the Beale men had made it very clear to the young man early on that if he didn't break up with Chloe by the end of spring break then they'd break him. A threat that they could never in a million years consider carrying out but luckily Chloe's 'boyfriend' wasn't to know that. So he had broken up with her before the end of the week and left._

_"That's what I'm gonna need to talk with you about" Jerry says "look I know that we've had this agreement since Chloe became a teenager that we'd protect her from any dickheads that dared to grace our presence."_

_"Which has been pretty effective" Michael said, folding his arms with a proud smile._

_Chloe's third 'boyfriend' (if you could call him that) had been a young man that she swore she'd met when she'd been jogging through the local park near home. Apparently he'd had an "adorable dog" which Chloe had stopped to pet and before they knew it they'd swapped numbers. Chloe had been home for the summer before starting her junior year and The Beale brothers had descended on the family home to celebrate their mother's birthday. This was where they'd met Chloe's 'boyfriend' and the moment they'd set eyes on him they'd hated him. Another tall man, this time the same age as Johnny, who also seemed to love having his arm around Chloe. The redhead was affectionate, the family knew that, but there was rarely a moment the whole day that he hadn't been touching some part of her body. It had been disrespectful. Then the man had had the unfortunate coincidence that his sister was friends on Facebook with Julia, and after some investigation by Ryan using his wife's Facebook with her permission, he found out that not only was Chloe's new 'boyfriend' married, he also had two children with a third on the way. The Beale men hadn't held back this time, immediately confronting the man, having no choice but to reveal that they knew, despite their sister being stood with them at the time. She had been distraught, and he had been apologetic. But it had been too little too late, and the Beale men had chucked the man out of their house, with Ryan throwing him a punch for good measure._

_"Right. But I'm gonna call it boys. I'm gonna say we back off on this occasion." The father said, holding his hands up as a way of indicating that his sons back down. Because Beca was nothing like the previous idiots Chloe had brought home before._

_"Woah, you're not going soft in your old age are you Dad?" Ryan said, nudging his father's arm with a teasing grin and Jerry returned the smile._

_"No, it's just…things seem different this time."_

_"Well yeah, Beca's a girl…" Johnny joked, stating the obvious with a chuckle, looking around at his brothers who chuckled too. It was an odd feeling for all of them to know that their sister was now a lesbian. They'd never seen it coming. Their wives had all told them at the weekend that they'd wondered over Christmas if something was going on between Chloe and her best friend, which the brothers found highly likely, especially as the women were far more tuned in to Chloe's personality than the men were. Chloe had apparently only cheered up over Christmas when she'd been talking to Beca on the phone…_

_"True but that's not what I mean." Jerry looks at his sons "You'll see it. Beca may seem too quiet for your sister. Too awkward. But they work. Beca treats your sister really well and she's good for her. So as long as Chloe is happy being with Beca, then I'm happy too."_

_And this was all the brothers needed to hear to know that they didn't need to interrogate or put pressure on their little sister's new partner. So long as their father felt happy and comfortable with the new addition to the family then they were too. No over-protectiveness necessary._

Jerry heard footsteps patter into the kitchen and he turned to see his daughter walking over to the fridge with a smile on her face, "I hope the boys aren't causing Beca too much grief." She said thoughtfully as she pulled open the door of the fridge and reached out for the milk carton.

"Don't you worry twinkle, if they were going to do something rotten they would've done it by now." Jerry joked, a wide grin on his face as his daughter pulled out the carton of milk from the fridge and raised an eyebrow at him while nudging the fridge door closed.

"Hmm…that's what I'm worried about…" The redhead mused as she placed the carton down on the island before her then made her way to a kitchen cupboard.

Jerry reached across to pull a tray from behind the toaster and placed it beside the milk carton while his daughter gathered six plastic cups from a cupboard she was reaching into. "I wouldn't worry sweetheart, Beca seems to be holding her own." And it was true. While Beca had been quiet and nervous when first meeting Chloe's brothers, two days had gone by and now there was no stopping her quick comments that were sometimes so sharp and sarcastic the brothers were stunned into silence. A silence that was often short lived, because the men would break into laughter, hardly able to believe that such comments were possible from the petite woman.

Jerry watched as a smile grew on his daughters face while she poured milk into the six plastic cups. This was one of the things that made Jerry feel that life was worth living for. To see his little girl happier than he'd ever seen her. And it was all down to the young woman sat outside, sharing beers with his sons. And even though he knew the answer, he couldn't help but ask his daughter, "Are you happy twinkle?"

The redhead continued to pour the milk while she answered, "Yeah, I _really_ am Daddy" in a sweet voice before placing the lid on the milk carton. She looked up at her father, her eyes sparkling bright and blue, just like his mother's had done once upon a time.

Jerry couldn't help the smile on his face, "You know we all really like Beca" he said. It was the first time he'd ever told his daughter that he liked anyone she was dating. Probably because it was the first time he actually liked anyone Chloe was dating. And from the looks of things Chloe realised it was the first time he'd said anything like this, because her smile had broadened as though he had given her a compliment.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah"

"I'm so glad you do!" The redhead gushed, as though this knowledge was a huge relief to her and Jerry felt his heart swell as he saw his little girl's face break into a huge smile while she returned the milk to the fridge, "Isn't she amazing? And you haven't even heard some of the music she's produced! Wait until you do. She's so talented. And funny. And…" suddenly Chloe stopped, closing the door to the fridge and turning back to her father, her cheeks flushing red slightly in embarrassment, "…and I'm babbling. Sorry."

Jerry chuckled as his daughter bit her bottom lip, "That's alright sweetheart. It's nice to see you looking so happy."

"She makes me really happy." Chloe said in a quiet content voice and Jerry knew it. Over the past couple of days that Beca and Chloe had been staying at the lake house Jerry had noticed just how happy the brunette made his daughter. Chloe's face really did light up whenever Beca walked into the room, and she watched her adoringly as the brunette joked with her brothers or politely explained her job to Chloe's sisters-in-law. He could tell that his daughter was over-the-moon to be able to hold Beca's hand in public, something they had done whilst out and about over the past couple of days. And he knew that his sons were just as pleased as he was to see how happy Beca made Chloe.

Jerry had also come to realise why he liked Beca a million times more than he'd liked any of the previous individuals that Chloe had dated. She was the entire opposite of any of Chloe's ex-boyfriends. The petite woman was often quiet, calm and laid back, a different personality to Chloe entirely. She made conversation if it was prompted by somebody else, but didn't go out of her way to dominate a conversation. Jerry liked that yesterday morning Beca had walked through to the decking area out the back of the house after breakfast and asked him if she could read the finance section of his newspaper, which he'd happily obliged. He liked that she'd been comfortable enough to sit with him as they both silently read their newspapers, waiting for their respective women to get ready for the family walk that had been planned. He liked that she was financially savvy. A sign that his daughter would be safe and secure if she spent her life with her.

Jerry also liked that Beca wasn't too overbearing when it came to affection. He knew she must be affectionate towards Chloe in some way or Chloe wouldn't be as happy as she was. But it wasn't thrown in the Beale's faces. Chloe always initiated a kiss if the women were in the company of her family, but it was only ever on Beca's cheek, and only a rare occurrence in public. A far cry from the way Chloe had acted with her ex-boyfriends. They did hold hands a lot. Or lean their legs against each other if they were sat side-by-side. Beca would sometimes bring an arm out onto the back of Chloe's chair, but never sling it around her shoulders in a controlling or dominating manner. And she would watch Chloe intently whenever the redhead was talking, though the Beale's had clocked between them that the expression Beca often wore when she watched Chloe wasn't one of lust or desire. It was a look of wonder, affection, and love. As though she couldn't believe how lucky she was to be in Chloe's presence.

Over the past couple of days the Beale's had found out about Chloe's many achievements in New York. From the successful reviews that were written for the performances her little theatre company she volunteered at had received, to the amazing cupcake store that she'd stumbled upon one day. From the lost kitten she'd successfully reunited with its owner, to the most amazing pancake recipe she'd finally perfected, to the huge amounts of money she'd raised at a charity art sale she'd organised with the owners of the coffee shop she worked at in the city. And the Beale's had found all this out from Beca, who more often than not spent most of her time revealing the amazing things Chloe got up to with a tone of love and admiration. To say that the Beale's liked Beca was an understatement. They loved her and how perfect she and Chloe were for each other.

"Well that's all that matters sweetheart" Jerry said to his daughter with a warm smile. The redhead smiled, walking away from the island to make her way out of the kitchen and the man called out to her, "Um…aren't you forgetting something?" he said as he motioned to the tray of drinks but Chloe shook her head.

"I'll be back in a minute, I just need to get Beca." She said, giggling as she noticed her father's change in expression, "The kids want her to read them the bedtime story tonight." And Jerry raised his eyebrows as Chloe simply shrugged before leaving the kitchen.

The bedtime routine at the lake house had been the same for however long there had been young children staying there. Bath time was at 8pm. Story time and milk at 9pm. Sleep time by 9.30pm. For as long as Chloe had been an Aunt she had always been chosen by her niece and nephews to read the bedtime story. Until tonight.

The kids had seemed to take a shine to their Aunt's girlfriend, the boys in particular. It had started this afternoon when Oliver had dashed up to the brunette and insisted she go and play on the zip-wire with them. Which she had reluctantly obliged. Thirty minutes later Beca had returned to the decking area to have a drink and a sit down with the adults, only for Hunter to dash up to her and insist she return to the treehouse nearby. Beca, exhausted, seemed to have panicked and as a result had simply taken the eight year old by the shoulders and gently shook him like a maraca. That was it. The boy had laughed so much that the rest of Chloe's nephews gathered around the brunette and Beca had had to spend the next hour gently shaking the little boys by the shoulders one by one while she listened in on the conversations being held between the Beale adults.

Jerry had finished unloading the dishwasher by the time Chloe returned to take the tray of milk cups. Beca was following and wore a nervous expression. "I hear you've been chosen." Jerry said with a grin but Beca merely shrugged.

"Um…yeah…looks like it"

"I wouldn't worry Beca, Chloe's been reading them bedtime stories for years. You can learn from the master."

Beca didn't have any time to respond, instead following Chloe out of the kitchen again while the redhead carried the tray of milk cups. Jerry smiled as he started to fill the dishwasher with dirty plates and cutlery, looking forward to hearing his wife's review of Beca's story reading ability.


	26. Epilogue XI - Storytime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Beca is chosen to read the bedtime story...]

The fire at the back of the lake house crackled as it lit up beneath the dusky sky and around it were several camping chairs, four of which were occupied. Beca took a long swig of beer as she sat back, enjoying the warmth that radiated from the fire as the flames danced about in front of her, lighting up the faces of the men sat with her. To her right sat Michael and Johnny, to her left sat Ryan. And at her feet lay Max the Labrador. It was the third night that the Beale brothers and their respective little families had been at their parents lake house and Beca had to admit, it hadn't been nearly as bad as she'd thought it would be.

The kids that Beca had been pretty terrified about meeting hadn't actually been so terrifying. Chloe's five young nephews had taken a real shine to her, which was probably down to this afternoon when she had agreed to go down the zip wire that ran from the kids awesome treehouse, down to a patch of soft grass (and a well placed crash mat) by the house. Beca had actually been pretty happy to oblige the offer as one of the twins (Oliver?) dragged her from her seat beside Chloe, across the lawn, and to the tall tree. And Beca had felt relieved that she was so petite and light, because she had no idea how she would've made it down that zip wire in one piece otherwise. She remembered hearing her girlfriend's laugh, loud and bubbly, as she landed in a heap on the crash mat with an "oof". But Beca was given no time to address her initial embarrassment because before she knew it the nephews were all screeching at her, begging her to go again. And so she had.

Another reason why Chloe's nephews seemed to love Beca, and Beca thought it was weird, was because the brunette had kinda started this thing where if they stood in front of her while she was sat down, Beca would gently take their shoulders and shake them like a maraca. And Beca would chuckle at the little weirdos because they would be laughing so much. Not only that, she loved the expression on Chloe's face when she saw Beca interacting with her nephews. At least they were easy to please.

Chloe's two nieces on the other hand were very different. Eva was the oldest of that generation of Beale's, at ten years old. Beca had always known how much Chloe adored her eldest niece, the child that had made her an Aunt for the first time. The kid was clever and clearly adored Chloe, probably because they were the only two glaringly obvious redheads in the family, Sue Beale now boasting strawberry blonde hair in her older age. Eva seemed alright with Beca, but nothing compared to the adoration of her Auntie Chloe, and the brunette was mindful of that. She ensured that if the ten year old wanted Chloe's attention then she wouldn't get in the way.

The other niece, and the youngest of that generation of Beale's, was Ellie who had turned one a couple of months back. Beca was happy to admit to herself that she was absolutely terrified of her. Not of her physical appearance, no Ellie Beale was the most beautiful baby she thought she'd ever seen. But Beca was absolutely terrified of being around her, for fear that she would upset her. Not that Chloe had taken any notice when she had plonked Ellie on Beca's lap yesterday evening.

" _I don't know how to do thiiis!" Beca said in an uncomfortable tone, tensing up as her girlfriend placed the one year old on her lap. Beca held her breath as the bright blue eyes of Ellie Beale looked up at her, as though peering into her soul to assess what sort of person she was. Beca didn't like holding babies. She didn't know how to hold babies. She'd never held a baby in her entire life!_

_Beca had no brothers or sisters. No young cousins. No friends with children. So she had zero experience._

_"Relaaax Beca, you're doing great." Beca heard her girlfriend coax as she took a seat beside her on the couch, stretching her arm out across the back of the leather seat, behind Beca._

_"It's alright for you to say, you've held a baby a million times before!" Beca muttered, not daring to break eye contact with the baby. The brunette could feel Chloe lean into her side, tucking her legs up under her body. She watched as her girlfriend brought a hand out to allow Ellie to hold her long slender finger, and the youngest Beale looked over at her Auntie Chloe with a broad smile._

_"See," Chloe said softly with a smile, "totally great."_

_And Beca couldn't help the grin that spread across her face as the baby turned back to her, the smile still remaining. The two women were so engrossed in how cute Ellie was that they didn't notice the looks on Sue and Laura's faces as they watched from the doorway of the lounge._

_"Maybe this isn't so bad…" Beca admitted as she dared to tear her eyes from the baby and turn to her girlfriend instead. She saw the redhead gazing at her with a soft smile on her face._

_"You're a natural" Chloe whispered, and Beca doubted it. Chloe was always too kind with her words. But she didn't protest, because the woman had leant her face towards petite brunette's and the two kissed affectionately as the baby gurgled on Beca's lap._

Chloe's brothers were actually really nice guys. They had only teased Beca once or twice about their sister but Beca didn't mind. Having lived in a house with Fat Amy throughout college and endured two tours with the Australian too, Amy's 'teasing Beca about Chloe' was on a whole other scale compared to the teasing of the Beale brothers. Amy had been the _worst_.

"Well you must be doing something right Beca," Beca turned to her right to look at Michael who addressed her with a smile on his face, "I don't think I've ever seen my baby sister this happy before."

And Beca thought she could feel her cheeks flush a little as the other two Beale brothers agreed with the eldest. They'd all been slowly making their way through a large crate of beers between them for the past hour now and it was evident from how open the brothers were with the words they said to their little sister's girlfriend that they were breeching drunk territory. Beca didn't feel drunk, but she was feeling that pleasant numb feeling that she often felt when she was at the beginning of getting drunk. And so she smiled, giving a little shrug as she looked down at the beer bottle in her hand, using her thumb to pick at the sticker around the glass.

"Well there's really nothing to it, Chloe's always happy." Beca said simply, taking another swig of beer.

"Yeah but…" Johnny began, pausing to stifle a burp, then continuing, "she's a whole other spectrum of happy when she's around you dude."

And again the brothers agreed, nodding and holding their beer bottles up at each other as a pretend 'cheers'. Beca smiled to herself again as she processed what the men were essentially saying. She knew she made Chloe happy. Like, ridiculously happy. But she didn't do anything extraordinary to achieve it. In fact, other than the obvious extra actions like kissing, sex, and handholding, Beca hadn't really acted any differently around Chloe than she had done before they'd got together. So Beca really couldn't work out what exactly it was that she did that made Chloe so happy, but it was clearly noticeable to the redhead's family who'd known her her whole life.

"Of course, we have to tell you the obligatory warning..." Ryan said in a serious tone and Beca looked over at him, not meaning to look quite as scared as she did. The brothers must have seen it, sitting forward, hiding their glee at being able to tease their sister's girlfriend, and they all looked at her seriously. "…if you do anything to hurt our little sister, we will have to hunt you down."

Beca exhaled in relief as the brothers laughed out loud at her reaction and the petite brunette waved a hand out as if to say "of course". She had nothing to fear. She had no intention of _ever_ hurting Chloe in any way. So she took another swig of beer as Michael chuckled, "You're alright though Beca. You're the only one we've liked."

And for the third time in a matter of minutes the brothers held their bottles up in a mock 'cheers' as they agreed with another comment about Beca. The petite brunette let out a quiet chuckle, before sitting forward and bringing a hand out to stroke the head of the Labrador that lay on her feet. Max sat up, leaning into her hand as she ruffled the fur behind his ears with a grin.

Okay, so before this week she'd never been much of a dog person. She'd never been much of an animal person full stop really. But Max the Labrador had changed her opinion of dogs. She hadn't had too much of a choice, as the dog pretty much followed her everywhere now. Sue Beale had mentioned something about being able to tell how good a person was based on how much a dog liked them, but Beca wasn't sure she'd been listening, just like she couldn't be sure that Laura's response had been that it was because Beca was so calm and laid back.

And no surprises that Chloe was over the moon with how much Beca appeared to love Max. So much so that Beca was already awaiting the inevitable conversation between them that would no doubt be started by Chloe asking if they could get a puppy. And as Beca saw the Labrador looking up at her with his big eyes she thought to herself that maybe owning a puppy with Chloe _wouldn't_ be so bad...

Footsteps could be heard approaching from behind Beca and the woman saw Max's tail wag in recognition. She felt a brief sense of loss as the dog left her side and went to greet the newcomer, but he didn't have to go far. Chloe appeared beside Beca as she gave a warm excitable greeting to her brother's dog, running her hands over its back. Beca smiled as she watched her girlfriend crouch down beside her chair to come face to face with Max, who's tail was wagging furiously at the attention.

"Are the kids all bathed and ready for bed?" Johnny asked his sister. Beca was relieved that the brothers didn't involve herself too much in talk about kids. From what she'd heard about them, having children was a total nightmare. Not only did they ruin any chances of any form of independence (Ryan mentioned he couldn't even go for a wee back home without his sons having to stand in the bathroom with him), but they drained every last penny their parents earned. What went in the bank essentially came straight out to pay for things such as new clothes ("Noah's gone through four pairs of sneakers in two months. Kids never stop growing!"), presents for birthday parties ("One of Eva's little friends had a frikkin' present list which you had to pick something from to get!"), or whatever they wanted if it was a particularly bad day ("Sammy once held his breath for a whole minute in Toys R Us. He'd gone blue in the face so we quickly bought him the hot wheels set he wanted!").

Beca had casually informed the Beale brothers that any kids of hers would get what they were given especially as their mother had such a terrible way with money. And it was probably the beer talking, but it was the first time Beca had identified that raising children was on the cards for her future. And not only that, but raising children with Chloe was too; the 'mother' in her statement referring to the redhead. The boys had merely laughed, wishing her good luck as all best laid plans go out the window as soon as kids are involved, especially if their little sister was anything to do with it ("The moment you and Chloe have kids she'll bleed you dry, buying them cute outfits that they'll probably only ever wear once before growing out of them." "Yeah just you wait for all the Disney outfits!")

Beca saw Chloe stand up and reach out towards her, placing a hand on the brunette's shoulder, gripping it affectionately while she dug her fingertips into a knot that was forever present in Beca's right shoulder blade, massaging gently. The brunette let out an inaudible groan of relief, her eyes rolling into the back of her head and she could sense from Chloe's tone of voice that she was smiling.

"Yep all bathed and ready for bed. Just milk and story to go." Chloe said. Beca opened her eyes as the redhead released her shoulder and noticed the brothers looking from her to Chloe and back again with sloppy grins on their faces. This was the first time Beca noticed just how drunk Michael, Ryan, and Johnny were getting.

"So what're you doing down here then Bo?" Ryan asked his sister, his eyebrows raised, "you're chief story reader in this family."

Beca saw Chloe turn to her with an affectionate smile, saying brightly, "The kids want Beca to read them a story tonight." And Beca felt her stomach plummet. They'd chosen her? _Why_? She hadn't read a kids story book since she was probably about…8! And she certainly hadn't read a story book to a child or children _ever_. She would be a terrible choice.

The Beale brothers laughed out loud and hearty as they saw the expression on Beca's face which was one of fear and disbelief. But the brunette felt numb as she turned to look up at her girlfriend who was smiling brightly at her, "I…um…me?"

"Uhuh." Chloe said with a nod, and before Beca had time to process anything, her girlfriend had reached down, taken her hand, and tugged her to her feet. Beca couldn't process the loud laughter coming from the Beale brothers as Chloe led her away from the fire and across the lawn to the house. She also couldn't process Max the dog, who dashed around their legs, almost tripping them over as he followed them over to the house. Because Beca really couldn't process anything right now. Not until Chloe stopped them both, squeezed her hand and asked, "You ok?"

"Um…yeah…I just…I don't know _how_ to read a storybook to kids…" Beca bit her bottom lip, relieved that her girlfriend had stopped walking towards the house.

"Beca, you just read the words on the page." Chloe said brightly, as though it were the most straightforward thing in the world, "It's not difficult." But even though Beca had nodded, and they had resumed their walking, she still felt nervous. Because Chloe could read a _restaurant menu_ and make it sound wonderful. She had a way of saying words that made people hang onto each and every one of them. So she could only imagine how good she was at reading a story book to children.

* * *

Beca sat awkwardly on one half of a single bed up in the attic, watching Chloe's nephews and niece slurp the last of the milk from their respective plastic cups by a small table that stood in the corner of the attic by the stairs. If she hadn't been feeling so nervous she would've taken note of how lovely her girlfriend looked as she mothered the six children; collecting empty cups one by one, straightening out tucked PJ's, wiping milk from around mouths. She would've noticed Sue Beale taking the tray of empty cups and leading the childrens' mothers down the stairs to the next floor of the house leaving Chloe to sort the kids. But Beca hadn't noticed. Because in her hands she held a book. _The_ book. The book she was expected to read to the little rascals.

"Right, come on then, go join Auntie Beca on the bed." Chloe whispered to her nephews who eagerly obeyed, and dashed over to the single bed, lumbering onto whatever space there was beside the brunette. Beca jumped, her heart racing. She hadn't expected them to sit quite so close. Chloe in the meantime slowly wandered over to the bed, smiling, putting her hands on her hips, saying in a patronising voice at her nephews, "oh I see. And where am _I_ supposed to sit?" And the little boys giggled, pointing to the scrap of space at the bottom of the bed. Beca began to panic. She had presumed Chloe would be sitting _beside_ her. Supporting her as she tried to read this book. "Can I not sit next to Auntie Beca?" The redhead asked in a light voice, but the boys shook their head with big smiles, telling her she had to sit at the bottom of the bed. One even had the cheek to tell her that she sat next to Beca all the time so now it was their turn.

So to Beca's dismay she saw Chloe shrug slightly before taking a seat at the bottom of the bed, Eva joining her, the ten year old forever by her Aunt's side. Beca winced a little as the twins clambered over her lap and sat the other side of her. The brunette now found herself sat more central on the single bed. Oliver and Jack to her right, Hunter and Noah to her left. Sammy had scrambled to the bottom of the bed and had launched himself into his Auntie Chloe's lap.

Beca didn't really know where to start, but fortunately her short pause was enough to have Oliver tug the book from her grip and begin to open it. Chloe calmly told him to slow down and hand the book back to Beca which the little boy did. And suddenly Beca realised that seven pairs of eyes were on her, patiently waiting for her to begin reading the book.

" _The Dinosaur That Pooped A Planet_ " Beca slowly read, and the children giggled. The brunette looked up at her girlfriend as she turned the page. Chloe had a soft smile on her face as she watched her and Beca could almost feel her cheeks flush. Her heart was racing.

" _Danny and Dinosaur like to have fun._ " Beca read. She hated the sound of her voice when she read anything. Singing she was fine with. But Beca knew she had a monotone voice when she read. " _Some days they had lots, some days they had none_." She continued. She was cringing inwardly as she turned the page. Man there were a lot of words to read. " _One day they were bored, they had no games to play…_ "

"I can't see the pictures!" Sammy whined from his position on Chloe's lap and Beca swallowed loudly, not really knowing what to do with that information. But Eva had reached a hand out and pulled the book down so it now lay out flat on Beca's lap. The brunette sat up straighter, leaning over the book to continue reading the words on the page in her monotone voice.

" _Danny said, 'Dinosaur, what shall we do today? We could mow the lawn. We could tidy the place. We could do our chores or we could go to space!_ " Beca said in an unenthusiastic tone, concentrating too much on trying to read all the words correctly rather than trying to put any life into the story she was reading. She looked up nervously at her girlfriend who gave her a little nod of encouragement, as if telling her to continue, and the brunette let out a sigh before reading out the next paragraph, "' _But you mustn't forget to have lunch.' said their Mummy, 'You cannot have fun without food for your tummy.' So they packed a packed lunch for the science museum, where rockets were kept if you wanted to see them."_ Beca grimaced as she turned the page once again. She was so rubbish at reading storybooks. " _There were hundreds of rockets and spaceship surprises. Tall ones and small ones of all shapes and-_ " Beca stopped abruptly with a loud groan, looking up at her girlfriend's startled expression, "You know what, I can't do this."she said with a defeated tone.

"What? No, Beca you're doing great!" Chloe said enthusiastically, her eyebrows raised to show her honesty, "Keep going."

But Beca had already sat back from the book, leaning her back against the headboard of the single bed, "Chloe I don't want to I…you'd be so much better at reading this than me." And she ignored the look of confusion on the children's faces as she took hold of the book and held it out to her girlfriend, " _Please_."

She knew that Chloe wasn't one to force her to do something she didn't want to do, and to her relief the redhead looked at her nephews who were staring at her, before letting a small purse-lipped smile appear on her face. Beca saw her girlfriend look at her again, giving her a small nod while quietly saying "If you're sure you don't want to?" But Beca was already holding the book out. She _definitely_ didn't want to. So Chloe took the book with a small exhale of breath, turning it around so she could read the words, laying it out in the middle of the bed so all the children could see the pictures.

And within a matter of eight words Beca realised just how truly terrible a story reader she was, as Chloe began reading the story from the beginning of the page that Beca had originally started. " _There were hundreds of rockets and spaceship surprise_ s." Chloe said, a big smile on her face, an enticing tone to her hushed voice, and Beca noticed all of the Beale children lean closer to her as she drew them in with her words, " _Tall ones and small ones of all shapes and sizes!_ " she ended with an excitable tone.

As the story continued Beca couldn't help but become entranced with her girlfriend. Because there were several things that she did that made her a far greater story reader than Beca. The first was the volume of her voice; Chloe spoke at an almost hushed and soothing volume. The second was the delivery of the words in the story; while Beca had been reading the story as though attacking each word in her monotone voice, Chloe kept the excitement, adventure and wonder of the story alive with varying tones to each word.

Another way that the redhead was noticeably the better story reader was the way she paused from time to time to allow the children to point at the different illustrations on the page. And if they didn't mention something that had caught their little eyes then Chloe herself would simply finish the sentence she was reading, then point at one of the illustrations to keep their interaction with the story. Sammy seemed the most enthusiastic when it came to chatting about what he could see on the page, leaning towards the book from his position on his aunt's lap as Chloe wrapped her arm around his waist to stop him from falling too far forward. Chloe also let the children join in with some of the words in the story, which made Beca wonder how often they'd been read this story before.

Beca couldn't help but marvel at how patient her girlfriend was too. Because she was so often interrupted by one or more of the children. Either because they wanted to turn the page ("Jack you can turn this page then Noah you can turn the next one…yes Oliver you can turn the page after that…Sammy you've already turned two pages.") or they wanted to count how many stars were drawn on one particular page so she would count along with them ("…threeeee…foooour…fiiiiive…si-…no, six comes next doesn't it…siiiiix…seveeeen…eight! Eight stars on this page!") and at one point Chloe'd had to stop reading the story while Jack suddenly decided that he wanted to scramble onto Beca's lap which had taken both the women by surprise, particularly Beca who's only real contact with the child had been shaking him gently by the shoulders, ("oh…wow…um…hey kid…").

Before Beca knew it the book had finished. She now had Jack curled up on her lap, who had pulled her left arm around his waist so she was practically cuddling him. She had her right arm around his twin brother, Oliver, who leant into her right side, and she had Noah cuddling into to her left side, with his arm curled around her left arm that she remained around Jack. And Beca could tell that the smile on Chloe's face wasn't because they had finished the story. It wasn't for the kids. It was for Beca, the woman who had once been so spiky when they had first met in college. The woman who no idea what to do when she was even in the same room as children let alone curled up with them. Not that she really knew what she was doing right now, she was just letting the kids dictate how she sat or where she put her arms.

"Right monkeys, bed time!" Chloe said and the children all groaned.

"Just one more story. _Pleeease_!" Jack begged. And Beca couldn't be sure if it was because he was sat in her arms or because he was the youngest, but she had to admit, the way he'd said it _had_ been adorable. She looked at Chloe and her heart swelled as the woman smiled at her nephews and niece. There was something wonderful about seeing her girlfriend interacting with the young children; affectionately bringing a hand out to stroke back Sammy's straggly brown hair, or curling her arm around Eva's shoulders as the eldest child nuzzled into her. Chloe would make an amazing mother one day.

"Alright one more story." The redhead caved, and the children cheered, racing to dive off the bed all at once and dashing to the collection of storybooks that rested on a shelf across the room. Beca couldn't help the grin on her face as she looked from the little Beale's over to her girlfriend who had begun crawling from the bottom of the bed to join the brunette at the top, a mischievous grin on her face. Beca felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment as Chloe placed her hands either side of Beca's hips and leant towards her, placing a kiss on her lips.

"Dude, not in front of the kids" Beca found herself mumbling, despite the small smile on her face, but Chloe didn't move her face away.

"Oh _relax_ ," Chloe whispered, "they're too busy trying to pick a book." And Beca could hear the children bicker about which story their favourite Aunt should read them before they went to sleep.

But just as Beca leant her face towards Chloe's to close the gap again a little voice piped up, " _Eww_!" followed by a chorus of "Eww _yuck_!"'s and she saw Chloe pull away from her in embarrassment, moving to sit beside her on the single bed with a small giggle. The little rascals had gathered at the edge of the bed, staring at their Aunt and Aunt's girlfriend with scrunched up noses, and for a minute Beca wondered if it was the sight of seeing two women kiss that made the children react that way. But she needn't wonder for long.

"Kissing is so yucky!" Hunter said defiantly, and his cousins, sister, and little brother agreed.

Chloe merely chuckled, "Oh yeah? Just you wait until you're grown up and start kissing!"

" _Eww_!" came the chorus again and Beca chuckled as Hunter replied confidently, "I am never kissing anyone _ever_! Not a girl, not a boy, _not ever_!"

"Alriiight." Chloe chimed in a sing-song voice and Beca knew her girlfriend didn't believe him. Because it was inevitable. Everyone at some point ends up kissing someone. "Have you decided what book we're reading?" The redhead asked and the kids held up three books between them. Beca looked at the covers. One had a caterpillar on it. One had a dog on it. And one had a bear on it. "I think we should let Auntie Beca decide." And Beca felt her heart jump into her throat as six pairs of eyes turned to her, all big and blue and pleading.

"Um…I like bears?…plus he's playing a piano and…I like pianos so…yeah that one." She said awkwardly, pointing at the book that Oliver and Jack held between them. Beca didn't _do_ favourites. Particularly not when children were involved. She'd lived most of her life disliking children so it wasn't difficult to not have favourites. But the inadvertent cuddle she'd shared with Jack was enough for her to feel a slight tug of favouritism towards the youngest boy in the Beale family.

Jack and Oliver cheered. Sammy, Noah, Hunter, and Eva whined in defeat. But before long they were all back on the bed. Jack had resumed his position on Beca's lap, but had made way for Oliver who had also managed to find space beside him, sitting on Beca's right thigh. Both Sammy and Noah splayed out on Chloe's lap while Eva lay on the edge of the bed beside Chloe, Hunter on the edge of the bed beside Beca. It was some sort of miracle, but they all fitted on the single bed. The book was held out between the two women, Chloe holding the left page with her right hand, Beca holding the right pages with her left hand. There was a hush and the redhead began the story.

" _The Bear and the Piano_ " Chloe read and Beca allowed Jack to reach out and turn the first page.

" _One day in a forest, a young bear cub found something he'd never seen before. 'What could this strange thing be?' he thought. Shyly, he touched it with his stubby paws._ " Chloe's voice was low and soothing as she read slowly. Beca knew this meant that this book was the one to calm the children ready to go to sleep.

"' _PLONK!' The strange thing made an awful sound._ " Despite being written in capitals, Chloe hadn't emphasised the word loudly, choosing to simply say it clearly in her soft voice instead. And suddenly Beca began to feel very calm, her girlfriend's words tricking into her ears as Chloe gently read the story. Jack had missed the pause that meant the page needed to be turned, so Beca managed to move her thumb just enough off the book that the next page turned over and Chloe caught it with her own thumb.

" _So, the bear left. But the next day he came back, and the day after that too_." Beca could sense the hush in the attic as all six of the children on and around them began to feel heavy. She wondered whether the twins had begun to fall asleep on her lap already. " _And for days and weeks and months and years, until eventually…_ "

The story went on to talk about how the bear had friends that loved to hear him play piano in the woods. Then one day some hikers found him and persuaded him to go to New York where he became a successful pianist, winning awards and playing to sell-out audiences. He missed his home and the woods, so one day he returned. But the piano in the woods was gone. Suddenly his friend appeared and led him to a new part of the woods where his friends were waiting for him with the piano.

" _So after the bear had told his friends about his life in the city, and the many concerts he had played, he sat down to play once more. This time, for the most important audience of all._ " Chloe quietly and slowly finished. Beca allowed the final page to join the rest of the book in Chloe's hand and the two women looked at the children around them. Beca grinned as Chloe let out a silent chuckle. All five of Chloe's nephews and her niece were asleep.

Beca didn't know where to start. So she turned to Chloe who was already looking at her with a big beaming smile as her bright blue eyes sparkled at her. And Beca thought that the weird thing was this all felt… _right_. Curled up in bed with Chloe reading bedtime stories to children. Maybe one day they could do all this with their _own_ children? And Beca felt her breath catch in her throat. Because she had never thought about having a future with children in it before this week. Not even when she had been with Jesse back in college, despite him mentioning it frequently, particularly the longer they had been together. But with Chloe everything felt _right_.

She watched as her girlfriend dropped the book down onto her lap and bent over to place a kiss on Eva's head, "Eva, sweetheart," the woman whispered, "time to get into your bed." And though Beca highly doubted the ten year old would do as she was told, the little girl proved her wrong, letting out a little groan before sliding off the side of the bed sleepily and over to her own. This had provided Chloe with more room to nudge the little boys on her lap, "Sammy, come on sweetheart, bedtime." And with a little encouragement the six year old rubbed his eyes before sleepily sliding off his Aunt's lap, off the bed and over to his own. Noah was next, "Come on Pickle, bedtime" and Chloe wrapped her arms around the five year old, pulling herself and him off the side of the bed and carrying Noah over to a free bed beside Sammy's.

Beca watched as her girlfriend tucked the little boy into his bed, placing a kiss on his cheek, before moving back over to Beca and the remainder of her nephews. Chloe reached over, tugging Oliver gently out of Beca's arms and the four year old grumbled slightly, "Oliver, time to get into bed" Chloe whispered, scooping him up and carrying him over to the penultimate free bed beside the one they had just been laying on. Whilst Oliver was being tucked in Beca took the opportunity to contribute to putting the children to bed, so she scooched to the free side of the single bed she'd been sat on, bringing Jack along with her. As she stood with the little boy in her arms she winced slightly. She'd underestimated how heavy he was. Or maybe she was just weak?

Beca slowly walked over to the final free bed, and placed Jack in it as gently as possible. Probably too gently. But Chloe hadn't dashed over to tell her she was doing it wrong. So Beca just pulled the covers over the little boy and brushed his brown hair back with a small smile as Jack let out a sleepy sigh, his eyes still shut. Yeah, he was her favourite.

She turned to see Chloe stepping away from having tucked Hunter in the bed that they had all been sitting on. The redhead beamed at her and Beca could feel her heart skip a beat momentarily. She loved seeing Chloe looking so happy. She loved _feeling_ this happy. It was a shame they had to return to reality in two days time. To return to work.

Chloe sidled up to her girlfriend and took her hands. Beca just smiled.

"Do you know what today is?" The redhead asked and Beca furrowed her brow slightly.

"Um…Friday?"

Chloe let out a sweet giggle that made Beca feel warm inside, "True. But what does today _mark_?"

"Um….." Beca was stumped. She literally had no clue. She tried to think back on any conversations she may have had that Chloe may have heard that would make her feel as though today was something special. But she couldn't think of any.

The redhead leant her face closer to hers, her bright eyes sparkling as she whispered, "It's exactly a month today that we went on our first date."

Beca swallowed. _Shit_. She hadn't realised. Of course Chloe was the type of girl to take notice of anniversaries that were as tiny as 'one month'. And now Beca felt terrible. Revealing her feelings to Chloe had been one of the biggest, most terrifying, and best moments of her life so far. How had she not realised that today marked exactly one month since then?

Fortunately Chloe had seemed to have read Beca's expression and giggled, "Don't worry Bec, I hadn't realised either."

"Then how…?"

"Aubrey texted me about an hour ago to ask me if we were doing anything to celebrate." _Aubrey_ had remembered? Beca couldn't believe that _Aubrey Posen_ of all people had remembered that she and Chloe had hit their one month anniversary. Beca had always been forgettable to the blonde. And it wasn't as though Aubrey had made a big deal of their date around the time that it had occurred anyway, so why did she seem to have it in her diary?!

* * *

- _One hour earlier_ -

"Hey wasn't it a month ago today that Beca and Chloe finally got together?"

Aubrey furrowed her brow, looking up from her phone. Netflix would always be on the TV screen in the evenings that she unwound in her private cabin at the retreat she ran, but she rarely watched it. Whilst it was on she would only ever look at her phone...or someone else. And that someone else was currently curled up on the couch with her, dressed in something that could barely be classed as pyjamas, not that Aubrey minded. That someone else was Staci Conrad.

"Was it?" The blonde asked and the woman beside her shrugged, a coy smile growing on her face as she looked over at Aubrey.

"I remember it was the first night we arrived in London…"

Ah, London.


	27. Epilogue XII - Air Quotations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Beca tells her Dad about Chloe..]

Beca laid on her bed, phone to her ear, wishing that the woman on the other end of the line was there with her right now. Actually that was a lie, she didn't want to be here at all with or without Chloe. Because right now she was stuck at her father's house for the next few days to 'celebrate' Christmas. The only thing was, The Mitchell's didn't really do Christmas. So this would essentially be like being imprisoned for five days until Beca travelled to the next state to see The Beale's for New Years. Five days time couldn't come soon enough.

"Do you want me to come over and we'll tell him together?" Chloe offered sweetly down the phone.

It was tempting, but Beca shook her head with a sigh. She'd decided before leaving New York last night that today would be the day that she would tell her father about her romantic relationship with Chloe. Five months into said romantic relationship wasn't too long to have delayed it right? Plus it was Christmas Eve. A time for family and happiness (apparently) so Beca hoped her father would be in the right mood to hear this news. She'd probably skip the part about Chloe's family having known for four months already...

"No, Chlo, really, it's ok…it'd be, like, 11 by the time you got here anyway and you know they go to bed at half nine." Like clockwork. Which is why Beca felt it'd be better to tell her Dad sooner rather than later. Tell him that she and Chloe were more than just best friends. More than housemates. Then the man could sleep on it and maybe, just _maybe_ he won't flip-out like she expected him to. She couldn't care less about what her stepmother, Sheila, thought.

"Ok well…call me as soon as you're free to and we can talk about it if you want?"

Chloe knew her well. She knew this was a big deal for Beca. She knew that the brunette would probably have a blow-up with her dad and would need to vent about it to someone. The one. The one she'd always turned to over the past couple of years whenever she and her father had had a row.

"Alright. Call you in a bit." Beca said quietly. She was reluctant to hang up. Hanging up meant she had to face reality. She had to go downstairs, pull her father aside, stare him blank in the face, and just tell him.

"Love you." Chloe said softly and Beca felt her anxiety loosen everso slightly. She wished she was with her.

"Love you too"

..

"How was Chloe?"

Beca entered the large kitchen of the house her father rented as part of the terms of his contract of being a Professor at Barden University. The man was stood with his back to the door Beca had just entered through, and he was doing the washing up. He was _always_ doing washing up.

"Alright." Beca said nonchalantly, but her heart was racing. She'd never felt so nervous in her life. Telling Chloe that she had feelings for her five months ago was easier than this. And Chloe had been the big deciding factor in all of it!

"Actually Dad, Chloe's what I want to talk to you about."

Beca swallowed loudly, holding her breath as she saw her father turn his head towards her, expressionless.

"Oh? Everything ok with the apartment?" He asked, turning back to the washing up in front of him. It wasn't the answer she'd been expecting.

"Huh? Oh…yeah everything's fine with the apartment. It's…it's not about the apartment…" Beca said trailing off slightly, and the kitchen fell quiet momentarily, while Beca gathered more courage. "it…um..you know how Chloe's my best friend?"

"Yeah"

"And we live together…"

"Yeah?"

"Well…we're actually more than that…"

"More than what?" He still didn't turn around. He just carried on with that stupid washing up. He didn't get where she was going with this.

"Housemates.."

"…how are you mo-…"

"-Do you really not see where I'm going with this…?"

Once again the kitchen fell silent, though this time Beca's Dad had stopped washing up. That was one of the many things Beca _hated_ about this house. How quiet it was. Back home in New York there was always a background hum of traffic coming from somewhere, or the sound of Chloe humming or singing or talking. At Chloe's family's house, whether it be at the Lake House or their actual home, there was always the sound of voices or the radio, or the sound of Chloe humming or singing or talking.

Beca could feel her aggravation beginning to build, " _Ugh_! Dad, Chloe and I are dating!" Her words echoed around the room and she saw her father hang his head as she continued, "Actually…it's…more serious than that. We're in a relationship with each other. _Romantically_ …" it was weird to say it out loud, in front of her father, in this house. She watched as the man before her turned on the spot to look at her, "...she's my girlfriend Dad."

Beca screwed her face up slightly, awaiting his reaction with baited breath. Her heart was racing as he looked at her. Then he sighed. _Fucking sighed_. He didnt look happy, he didnt look sad, he didn't look disappointed. And all of a sudden Beca realised something. He didnt _believe_ her.

"Alright Beca, are…are you doing this to get back at me or something?" Her father said, a slightly irritated tone to his voice.

"Wha-…what?" Beca blinked for a moment.

"For the car. I'm not letting you have the car over Christmas so as pay-back you're telling me about this little thing with Chloe. Thinking I'll get mad-,"

"-No…"

"-thinking if I thought you were having a _romantic relationship_ " okay the air quotations hurt, "with your best friend who conveniently lives with you thousands of miles from here that maybe I'd start letting you get away with more stuff?"

Beca could feel her anger bubbling under the surface. This was starting to become unfair. Why didn't he believe her?

"Dad I'm being _serious_ here!" She didn't mean to sound so desperate but this was important to her.

"I thought your little stunt on Instagram was funny Beca. I thought, sure, get Chloe drunk, get her to declare she and you are _in_ _love_ " again, the air quotations were like a dagger to the heart, sure, llet her kiss you… that just _screams_ serious romantic relationship Beca…"

"I didn't ask for that to be on Inst-" Beca protested, her voice rising as her anger did, trying to match her father who's voice was already quite loud due to his frustration with his daughter.

"…just, why _now_? _Why_ on Christmas Eve? When your grandparents are here-"

"They're _not_ my grandparents! They're _Sheila's_ parents and I didn't _ask_ for them to be here!" Beca knew she was beginning to yell and it would only be a matter of time before Shelia would come through from the lounge. Bloody Sheila...

"Either way, can you _not_ make this Christmas worse for me by attention seeking!" Beca's Dad cried out, but that was the last straw for the petite woman.

" _Attention seeking?_!" Beca was livid, "Dad I _love_ her and I had hoped that you _may_ have had the tiniest scrap of selflessness to maybe be _happy_ for me for once!" Beca was breathing heavily as her final words echoed around the room. Her father's next words were quieter.

"You love her huh? Like you loved Jesse?" Jesus, she _knew_ he'd bring Jesse up in all this. The man couldn't let go of the fact that she and Jesse had broken up _three years ago._ Jesse had, according to her dad, been the perfect example of everything that would provide his daughter with the safety, security and guidance that she apparently so desperately required in life.

"I never loved Jesse. Not like this. Not like I love Chloe." Beca said quietly, yet stubbornly, almost defeated. "And I'm sorry if _this_ " she gestures between them, "makes your Christmas worse Dad, really I am," and she could tell by the look on her father's face that this was the first time she'd apologised to him sincerely, "but I'm not fucking about here," she saw him wince at the swearword but she persisted, "because for the first time ever I'm _happy_. Like, _really_ happy. Chloe _gets_ me. She gets every bit of me. So yeah, I _do_ love her. And not like I loved Jesse. Because I love her so much more."

There's a long pregnant pause as Beca scowled at her father. She always looked pissed off when she fought for something.

The man sighed, "It's a phase Beca," and Beca threw her arms in the air as she growled, which caused her father's voice to rise again as if trying to get through to her, "you're still going through that weird stage of testing my boundaries, but you're not sixteen any more Beca, you're almost twenty five! Whatever this thing is that you and Chloe are doing, it's just a phase." Beca was now shifting her weight from foot to foot, agitated, angry…no, _furious_. "It'll never last because you shut people out Beca. It's what you do. If Jesse was never able to break past that then there's no hope for anyone, especially not Chloe!"

Beca didn't want him to say her name. She _hated_ the way he said her name. The way he said 'Chloe' was sharp, aggressive and unflattering. The way 'Chloe' was meant to be said was soft, serenely, and beautifully, like the person it belonged to. So Beca held her hands up, almost in surrender. Her voice was low and dismissive.

"Right, I'm done. I told you what I wanted to tell you and you're still unsupportive. Big surprise!"

Beca began to storm out of the kitchen and pushed past Sheila who was stood in the doorway staring at her in shock. She didn't know how long the woman had been stood there. She didn't care.

"Yeah walk away. Classic Beca!" She heard her father call after her. Had it been ten years ago, Beca would've turned on her heels and dashed back to him to continue the argument. But ten years ago she hadn't known what another family was like. How another family openly loved and supported each other. How another family would talk through any issues they might have instead of letting them build up. How another family would support their family member if she announced she was in a relationship with another woman.

Beca stormed into her 'bedroom', pulling together the few items she'd unpacked on the bed while she held her phone against her ear. She couldn't stay here any longer. She was calling a cab. She was going to stay with The Beale's.


	28. Epilogue XIII - Midnight Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Beca arrives at The Beale's...]

Chloe woke up with a start as the phone in her hand began to vibrate. She lifted her face off the pillow in her childhood bedroom at her parents house, wiping the line of saliva from the corner of her mouth. She must have dozed off while waiting patiently for Beca to call her. Beca. The redhead's stomach churned as she saw the woman's name across her phone screen and she answered the phone with a sleepy mumble.

"Mmbeca?"

"Chlo," Chloe sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes slightly with the palm of her hand as she wondered why her girlfriend was whispering, "can you let me in? I'm freezing."

The redhead furrowed her brow, turning her head to look at The Little Mermaid digital clock she'd been given for her sixth birthday. It was midnight. Crumbs had she been asleep for that long? Hang on…did Beca say something about letting her in?

"Beca…where are you?"

"I'm outside your house." Beca whispered slightly more urgently, clearly not wanting to wake the neighbours, "Will you come downstairs, please?"

Chloe slid off her bed and quickly dashed to her bedroom door, tugging it open and shuffling silently across the landing and down the staircase. Her heart soared as she saw the outline of a petite brunette woman stood outside the front door. She was here. Chloe scrambled for the door keys that lay in a bowl amongst all her brothers' car keys, then fumbled in the darkness to unlock the door. No sooner had she swung the door open her heart sunk. There, stood before her, was her girlfriend. But it wasn't her presence that broke Chloe's heart. It was the look on Beca's face.

She could immediately tell things couldn't have gone well with Mr Mitchell. Beca's deep blue eyes were glassy, her eyeliner uncharacteristically smudged and Chloe knew this meant that her girlfriend had been crying. It wasn't in Beca's nature to cry. Though to be fair the woman didn't really have anything to cry about, particularly since she and Chloe had finally got together. Plus there was now the added bonus of recently getting a small promotion at work which required her to seek out unsigned artists by attending various gigs for free. Something that both she and Chloe got to enjoy most nights that the redhead wasn't volunteering at the local theatre company in Brooklyn.

There were no words spoken and within a heartbeat of opening the front door Beca had flung herself into Chloe's warm arms. The redhead felt the chill from her girlfriend's pale skin but she didn't register it. Even five months into their relationship Beca wasone to initiate hugs or cuddles. She'd occasionally smooth her hand up and down Chloe's back if they were sat or laid together in private. She'd take hold of Chloe's hand if the redhead placed her hand on Beca's thigh while they sat together at a table in public. When she returned home after a long day at work she'd sometimes come up behind Chloe and snake her arms around the redhead's waist while the woman cooked their dinner. But Beca never initiated cuddles. Not like this.

"I thought you were staying at your Dad's for Christmas?" Chloe whispered into Beca's hair as she held the petite woman tightly.

"He's a jerk." She heard her girlfriend mumble into her neck and Chloe knew that tone. That was the tone Beca used when she'd had an argument with her father.

"He didn't take it so well huh?" Chloe said softly, releasing her grip so that Beca leant back slightly to look at her more clearly. She hated to see the brunette looking so vulnerable. Beca looked at her sadly, shaking her head slowly . Suddenly the light above them turned on and the two women jumped before the sound of footsteps could be heard descending the first few stairs of the staircase behind Chloe.

"Chloe what are-" Jerry Beale whispered down to his daughter but he stopped as he caught sight of Beca in Chloe's arms, "Beca?" The two young women turned to look up the staircase and saw Chloe's father swallow uncomfortably in the silence, clearly embarrassed that he may have interrupted an intimate moment between the two of them. But the silence wasn't there for long.

Sue Beale approached the top of the staircase donning a lilac dressing gown that appeared to match the silk pyjamas she wore underneath, "Beca?!" she whispered at her husband, wondering why he'd said the young woman's name in the first place. But her question was quickly answered as she looked down the stairs, past her husband, and her bright blue eyes quickly lay on her daughter and daughter's girlfriend. "Beca!" the woman whispered in recognition, a concerned expression on her face as she pushed past her husband and made her way down the remaining stairs, "Oh you must be freezing sweetheart. Come inside and let's shut this door." And Chloe watched her mother nudge the front door over before putting her arms around the two of them. Beca still had her arms around Chloe's waist, even in the presence of Chloe's parents, which was a sure sign that the brunette needed to be with her right now.

"Yeah." Jerry muttered as he reached the bottom of the stairs to join them, shutting the front door properly, "Try and savour the last of the warmth in this house Beca before Chloe lets it all out the front door." There was a sarcastic tone to his voice and Chloe rolled her eyes. He was a bit too precious when it came to letting the heat out of the house. But Jerry immediately straightened up as the three women before him turned to look at him, his wife and daughter glaring at his lack of sympathy for the short brunette who was clearly upset. So he simply sighed, "I'll go put the kettle on…" and began walking through to the kitchen at the back of the large house.

Sue dropped her arms down from the young women, smoothing a reassuring hand briefly across Beca's back before motioning for them to follow her. Chloe brought her arms down from Beca's shoulders and took her hand, which Beca squeezed tight. Another thing that was uncharacteristic. It was usually Chloe who squeezed Beca's hand, and it was usually when she was excited about something.

They followed Sue, who had led them to the kitchen, and Chloe led Beca to the island in the middle of the room. The brunette scrambled up onto one of the tall bar stools, and Chloe dragged one of the heavy stools across the tiled floor so that she could be sat directly next to her girlfriend. Meanwhile Sue had informed Jerry that tea wouldn't quite be the answer. The poor man turned the kettle off and pulled a massive carton of milk out of the fridge so that his wife could prepare some hot chocolate for the four of them.

"So, Beca…" Jerry began, leaning back against the work surface as he faced his daughter and daughter's girlfriend and Chloe felt herself grimacing slightly. What on earth was he going to say? "…Chloe said something about you telling your Dad about…well…you two." He said awkwardly, as though not wanting to upset the brunette any further.

Chloe looked at Beca nervously. She hadn't told her that she'd told her parents about tonight and what it meant for them as a couple. It was a huge deal. It was the difference between Beca keeping some family in her life and potentially ditching them all. And right now she feared that it would be the latter.

"Yeah, um…" Beca said with a pause, scrunching her nose up slightly as she she shook her head and stared down at her fingers that were currently entwined in Chloe's, "…he didn't really…uh…he didn't believe me."

"What bit didn't he believe?" Chloe found herself asking quietly.

"All of it, you know…like how we're more than just best friends and housemates…how we're in a serious relationship…" the brunette was beginning to sound more bitter as the speed in which she spoke became a little faster, "and I told him I was in love with you and that I wasn't messing about and…he said it was just a phase.

"What?!" All three of the Beale's cried out, slightly louder than intended considering the time of night. Chloe felt sick. Sure, they'd lived together for almost two years before becoming a couple, but living together whilst being a couple meant something. It meant more than just being a phase. Back home they shared a bed, they shared meals, they shared a Netflix account, they shared hopes and fears, they shared intimate companionship. They shared everything. This was so much more than just a phase. It was love.

"Oh I'd like to give him a piece of my mind!" Chloe heard her father grumble and she watched as her mother walked over to the island, sliding a tray with four mugs of hot chocolate into the centre. Chloe reached out and took her yellow mug with a black 'C' on it. Jerry had taken his red mug with a black 'J' on it, and Sue took her purple mug with a black 'S' on it. Beca knew the drill, taking the plain black mug that had always been her mug whenever she'd occasionally visited this house over the past four or five years. It was 'the guest mug' apparently. The kitchen fell silent as the adults nursed their respective mugs of homemade hot chocolate, sitting around one end of the island.

"So how did you get here Beca?" Sue asked kindly, trying to help ease the tension, "I can't imagine there were many flights from Atlanta this evening." Chloe took a sharp sip of her hot chocolate, listening out for Beca's response. Because it hadn't crossed her mind to ask her how she'd got here. All that mattered was that she was here. Chloe saw Beca shrug out of the corner of her eye.

"Nah I just…got a cab." The brunette mumbled, blowing the steam from the top of her black mug.

"That can't have been cheap!" Jerry chuckled, trying to lighten the mood and Chloe turned to her father, squinting her eyes slightly to tell him off and the man's smile quickly dropped. Now wasn't the time to be joking. Chloe knew Beca could afford it. Her recent promotion guaranteed it. To the redhead's relieve she saw a tiny smile appear in the corner of her girlfriend's mouth as Beca stared down at their hands that were entwined on her lap.

"Yeah well, it's worth it. I couldn't stand the idea of staying there while my Dad couldn't accept me…couldn't accept us..." Chloe felt a surge of warmth as she saw her girlfriend look up at Jerry and Sue Beale, who was sat opposite them, letting a soft smile spread across her face as she said, "you guys are better parents to me then my own parents are. Always have been I guess."

Beca was right, the Beale's always had treated Beca as though she was part of the family. There had been moments during the Barden college vacations when Beca would have an argument with her father about something and end up taking the two hour drive to The Beale's house. And on all but one occasion Chloe had been there when Beca had turned up. The one time that she hadn't, in Beca's penultimate year of college, Sue Beale had insisted Beca not wait in the car until her daughter returned from her summer job and the petite brunette had actually had a pretty nice afternoon helping the mother bake a cake because 'baking was therapeutic'. Sue hadn't pressed the young woman on details about why she'd turned up. She'd just engaged Beca in small talk until Chloe had returned home. And Chloe knew that Beca had really appreciated that.

"Beca, we'll always be here for you if you ever need us." Sue said warmly, a kind smile brushing on her face as her husband nodded in agreement, taking a slurp of the hot chocolate from his red mug. Chloe's heart skipped a beat as she saw Beca catch her eye. Her girlfriend was looking calmer already and it filled Chloe with joy that Beca being here with her, with her parents, in her parents home was almost like Beca's safety blanket. This was where Beca felt safe. And Chloe gave her girlfriend a wink, squeezing her hand in the process, which appeared to give the petite brunette the confidence for what she wanted to say next.

"So…um…could I stay here for Christmas?" Beca asked nervously and Mr & Mrs Beale both sat up straight, big smiles on their faces.

"Of course!" The parents exclaimed, their words echoing around the kitchen.

"We weren't expecting you to go back to your father's house!" Sue said.

"Absolutely not! No, you stay here for as long as you want kiddo!" Jerry added.

"Oh the kids are going to be so excited when they wake up and find out you're here!"

"Yeah you'll be the best present of all!"

And as her parents continued chatting away to them Chloe beamed at her girlfriend while the brunette's cheeks flushed slightly in embarrassment at the attention. Chloe felt herself becoming a little giddy. She was about to spend her first Christmas with Beca!


	29. Epilogue XIV - Christmas Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Beca is introduced to a Beale Christmas...]

Chloe stirred out of the deep sleep she'd been in, letting out a long peaceful sigh. She paused for a moment, the memories of last night flooding back to her, and she slowly opened her eyes. She smiled softly as she looked down at the mass of brown hair belonging to her girlfriend while Beca lay on her left side, curled into her. Beca never curled into Chloe. Chloe was the tallest of the two of them. Chloe was also had the bigger frame of the two of them, even though she was considered small to many. Compare the two women and Beca was definitely the smallest. Yet despite that fact, Chloe was always the one who curled into Beca, the redhead being the more cuddly and openly affectionate of the two of them.

So as Chloe felt Beca's chest rise and fall while she curled up in Chloe's warm arms, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness. Because there was only one real reason why Beca was curled into Chloe right now. It was because she was feeling vulnerable. Chloe thought about how unfair it had been of Beca's father to treat his own daughter the way he had. To not believe her when she'd revealed to him something so important that she had been keeping secret from him for a while.

Chloe brought her left hand up from around her girlfriend and began delicately glazing her fingertips across the pale skin of Beca's arm. The young woman didn't stir. Chloe felt her eyes slowly close again, enjoying the peace of the early morning, and the rhythm of her girlfriend's gentle breathing.

All of a sudden Chloe's ears pricked up as she heard the familiar sound of several pairs of footsteps scuttling along the landing, stopping outside her bedroom door. The woman opened her eyes as a grin spread across her face. She could hear loud whispering and giggling from her nephews and niece. But as the door handle pulled down with a creak, Chloe realised that the kids wouldn't be the first to tumble into her bedroom. She noticed Sammy open the door but before she could nudge her girlfriend awake she heard the familiar sound of her brother's Labrador scramble quickly into her bedroom.

Beca yelped as she jumped out of her deep sleep. But her shock was soon rectified with a chuckle as the Labrador that had leapt onto the bed proceeded to lick the brunette's face enthusiastically, his tail wagging with recognition. Chloe couldn't help but laugh as her girlfriend pushed at the dog to give her space to sit up. In the meantime the Beale children had realised just who was in their Aunt's bed with her and they squealed with excitement, dashing into the bedroom.

"Auntie Becaaaaa!"

"It's Christmaaas!"

The children dove onto the bed while Chloe clutched onto Max the Labrador's collar to give her girlfriend a chance to sit up and breathe. There wasn't one person in the room who wasn't laughing or giggling and Chloe felt her heart soar as she heard Beca's laugh, full and loud. The woman had sat up beside her under the covers, wearing a set of Chloe's Christmas pyjamas, and was currently grinning from ear to ear as Jack and Oliver both jumped on top of her to cuddle her tight. Eva pulled the bedcovers back on Chloe's side of the bed and crawled in beside the woman, her Aunt wrapping her arm around her as the ten year old brought the bedcovers up over her lower body.

"Max!" Chloe said sternly, and the dog stopped scrambling for Beca and instead sat obediently on the petite brunette's lower legs, his tail still wagging as he panted. The rest of Chloe's nephews had joined them on the bed; Noah having somehow clambered around the dog and nestled between the two women, pulling the covers over his lower body; Hunter kneeling beside Max; and Sammy sitting on Chloe's lap.

"Auntie Beca, did Santa bring you here for Auntie Chloe for Christmas?" Jack asked, blinking at Beca sweetly with his bright blue eyes, and Chloe felt her heart melt as she watched her girlfriend look over at her with a big grin saying that he had, before seeing her youngest nephew throw his arms around the petite brunette's neck with a loud "yaaay!" and Beca reacting with a quiet "oof!"

"Auntie Chloe can we go into Grandma and Grandad's room yet? Pleeease?" Sammy asked desperately and Chloe smiled teasingly at the little boy.

"Hmm that depends. What time is it?" And the redhead let out a small giggle as her nephew pushed back from her to crane his neck and look at The Little Mermaid clock on her bedside table. He let out an excitable gasp and looked back at her with that dazzling Beale smile that they all seemed to have inherited from Sue.

"It's 6:30!" The little boy squeaked and Chloe heard her girlfriend groan slightly under her breath. She knew this was far too early for Beca to be awake. But tradition was tradition. And in The Beale household 6:30 was prime 'Stocking Present Opening' time.

Beca was perched on the edge of the long bay-window seat in Sue and Jerry Beale's bedroom. To her left sat Chloe. To her right sat Laura then Johnny. Opposite them, sat on the floor, leaning their backs against the wall was Michael, Claudia, Julia, and Ryan. The King-size bed in the room currently boasted Sue and Jerry Beale, who sat on the covers, surrounded by all of their grandchildren (including 18 month old Ellie who happily sat in Sue's arms). The bed looked chaotic, with heaps of torn wrapping paper strewn all over the place due to the children's haste to open all the presents in their stockings. Beca had been a bit shocked at first, never having really seen children open presents at Christmas before. And certainly not from their Christmas stockings. But after ten minutes of gasps and "ooh!"s and "woohoo!"s and "oh wow!"s from the children, Beca began to understand why people liked Christmas so much. The reaction of people opening presents was really quite nice.

Beca turned her head to her left as she felt Chloe loop her arm through hers and take her hand. Normally she would feel uncomfortable about an interaction like this when they were around other people, but Beca saw Chloe smiling warmly at her and the brunette could think of nothing else to do but simply smile back and squeeze her hand affectionately.

"Right then, that's the stockings done. No more presents." Jerry Beale called out in a teasing tone, and Beca turned to watch the children look to their grandfather.

"No that's not all the presents Grandad!" yelled Hunter.

"Yeah, it is!" Jerry said trying to keep a straight face, and the children all began giggling and squeaking "Nooooo" at him.

"It isn't?!" the grandfather said, mocking his surprise with a wide mouth to which the children giggled and protested again.

"Nooo!" screeched Oliver mid-laughter, "You forgot the Christmas Present Chest!"

"Oh the Christmas Present Chest! I forgot!" The man brought his hand to his forehead as though telling himself off for having 'forgotten', "Well what are you waiting for? Better get those presents out the Christmas Present Chest then!" And Beca watched in curiosity as the children scrambled off the bed and ran to a large chest that stood beside Ryan that she hadn't even noticed.

Beca heard her girlfriend giggle slightly as the adults all watched the children grabbing the presents from within the chest. Eva held the lid of the chest up while the young boys dove in to pull out the presents, then she helped the younger boys read out the names on the tags. There were 8 presents in total.

Beca was shocked when Noah scurried up to her and handed her a present. It was a cube shape and rather heavy for its size. It was wrapped in blue paper with cartoon snowmen dotted about it. Chloe loved the colour blue.

"I get a present?" Beca asked in surprise to nobody in particular.

"Well of course you do Beca, it's Christmas." Jerry said with a big grin on his face and Beca smiled back at him.

The deliverer of the present, Noah, had already gravitated over to his mother who held a present of her own and he was busy asking her what it was when Claudia peered over her sons shoulder and motioned to Beca, "Well perhaps we should let Auntie Beca open her present first huh? It's her first Christmas with us isn't it."

Beca swallowed loudly, slightly overwhelmed as she saw six out of seven of the young Beale children scurry over to her. "Um…" Beca said as she looked at each other them, not overly sure what to do. But as she looked back down at the present in her hands she could hear Ryan chucking from across the room.

"Beca you look like you've never seen a Christmas present before!" The man teased.

Beca scrunched her nose up slightly with a small shrug and she glossed her thumbs across the wrapping paper, "Well…we don't…you know, normally do Christmas presents in my family. In fact we don't normally do any kind of presents no matter the time of year."

As expected, everybody in the bedroom gasped. Chloe even brought a hand to her mouth in shock. But Beca looked up at the adults around her and simply shrugged, "It's no big deal. My Dad just gets me an iTunes gift card."

"But…what do you open at Christmas?" Chloe forced out quietly, evidently feeling sorry for her girlfriend which really wasn't what Beca wanted.

"An envelope?" Beca said and furrowed her brow at the reaction that was still being displayed by the Beale's. Of course they were shocked. She could only imagine that Chloe had got her love of giving presents from her family. But it was far from how her family was. "Look, that's just how it's always been in my family." She tried to explain with a shrug, "Not many decorations, a good dinner, maybe a bit of tv. Just another day really…"

"Just another day?!" Chloe cried out in shock and Beca turned to look at her girlfriend who appeared to have tears in her eyes, "Beca it's Christmas Day! One of the best days of the year!"

The room went silent which made Beca feel slightly uncomfortable. It was rare for all the Beale's to be in one room and for that room to be silent. She looked down awkwardly at the present in her hands, before looking back up at the family dotted about the room.

"Sheesh Beca, you're gonna be in for a shock today. We Beale's don't do Christmas lightly…" Michael said with a chuckle and suddenly the atmosphere brightened again as his brother's began laughing. Not doing Christmas lightly? Beca believed it. The kids before her were all donning Christmas onesies, and the adults were wearing Christmas pyjamas, except for Sue and Jerry who were wearing a Santa hat each. Heck even Beca was wearing Christmas pyjamas which Chloe had pulled out of her bottom draw and chucked at her once they'd retired to bed in the early hours of the morning. She'd never worn Christmas pyjamas in her life!

"Auntie Beca are you going to open your present yet?" Beca's gaze landed on a pair of bright blue eyes that belonged to Jack, who stood eagerly at Beca's feet, the palm of his little hands on her knees. She hadn't even noticed him approach her she'd been so surprised by the gift. She looked around the room one last time and each of the adults were nodding at her, almost as if they were giving her permission to open her present first, big grins on their faces.

So Beca brought her attention back to the small box-shaped present. She sees the gift tag says it's 'from Santa' and her heart lurches slightly at the sentiment of what it represents. She couldn't tell if it made her cringe at how sappy it was, a grown woman getting a present 'from Santa', or if she was actually touched by the sentiment that The Beale's had provided her with a present 'from Santa'.

Her small fingers grappled with the well-taped wrapping paper, and she heard mutters and chuckles from the adults around her that said that Santa's elves always had been very thorough wrappers. Which of course elicited a comment from Jerry about how Santa's elves were hip-hop rappers and all four of his children had groaned at the joke that he clearly said every year.

Beca finally tore the last of the paper off and she realised her heart was racing slightly. She now held a small cardboard box. It had nothing written or drawn on it. And so she furrowed her brow slightly with a curious smile.

Beca pulled the top of the box open, reached in, and suddenly her heart jumped into her mouth. She pulled out of the box a deep blue mug, her favourite colour, and on the side of the mug was a black letter 'B' on the side of it. Beca didn't know what to say.

Every member of the Beale family had their own mug in this house. The mug not only had the letter of their name on the side of it but it was also in their favourite colour. For example, Chloe's was a yellow mug, with a black letter 'C' on the side. And now Beca's was a blue mug, with a black letter 'B' on the side.

Beca swallowed loudly and looked up from the mug as Hunter asked her what Santa had got her. The woman held out the mug so the children could see it, and she was met with "oohs" and "wows". Jack, who was thrilled, had dashed past his cousins and brother over to his mother.

"Mommy, Santa bought Beca a mug! Can it go next to mine in the cupboard?" The little boy asked excitably. But at the sound of the request, Oliver quickly joined his twin brother and asked that Beca's mug actually go next to his in the cupboard. Before long all of the children were back up on the bed begging their grandparents that Beca's mug be placed next to their respective mugs in the kitchen cupboard.

Beca felt numb all of a sudden as she stared back down at the mug. She couldn't believe it. She had her very own Beale mug! Beca swallowed hard, feeling pretty choked at the sentiment, and she noticed a hand reach out from her right to nudge the ceramic present.

"Now you really _are_ part of the family Becs." she heard Johnny say and she turned to look at him with a grateful smile. She looks from him and Laura; over to Sue, Ellie and Jerry; to the kids; to Ryan, Julia, Claudia, and Michael, and said a quiet thank you. They all smiled brightly at her.

"Don't thank us, thank Santa!" Jerry said with a wink and a warm smile.

"Right…um…thanks Santa." Beca said, looking up to the ceiling for some reason and briefly holding the mug up as though Santa was watching the room. But she quickly brought it down as the children dashed over to Ryan who had declared it was his turn to open his present from Santa (which turned out to be a rubix cube, much like the one he'd had as a kid, but this one lit up)

Beca looked down at the mug in her hand, finally feeling as though she belonged somewhere and she thought she could feel her heart swell. She didn't notice the soft smile that had slowly wiped onto her face. That soft smile grew into a broad grin as she felt Chloe lean into her and place a firm kiss on her cheek.

"Happy Christmas Beca" the redhead whispered, and Beca turned to look at her girlfriend who was beaming at her, her bright blue eyes sparkling as though she'd just witnessed the most wonderful moment of her life so far.


	30. Epilogue XV - The Duck Pond

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Beca & Chloe discuss their future...]

The cold breeze whipped about the trees that surrounded the large park near Chloe's family home and Beca walked with the redhead along a smooth path that ran between the trees and alongside a large duck pond. After the grand 'Stocking Present Opening', Beca had followed the Beale's downstairs for one of Sue's infamous 'Beale Breakfasts' made all the more amazing by Jerry's Christmas Coffee, which was his 'secret recipe' (though Chloe had whispered to Beca that it was essentially just coffee, cinnamon, and a bit of brown sugar). Beca hadn't realised how hungry she'd been and she'd happily joined the Beale's in tucking into the morning feast, slurping 'Christmas Coffee' from her new 'B' mug while Max sat at her feet hoping she'd smuggle some bacon down to him. Which she had, but only when nobody was watching.

Tradition meant that no sooner was breakfast finished then it was time to go to the lounge and open the presents around the Christmas tree. Tradition meant that the family sat in a circle on the floor by the tree, the children read out the names on the gift tags, and each person got their very own pile of presents to open. Beca, having only ever really had envelopes to open at Christmas time, with money stuffed in cards from relatives, was surprised when a small pile of presents had begun to pile up in front of her crossed legs. She'd looked over at Chloe who had been beaming at her, saying "you didn't really think my family wouldn't get you any presents did you?" and Beca had just shrugged, looking back at the pile before realising that she'd left Chloe's presents upstairs, so she'd scurried to get them.

It turned out Beca had a _lot_ of presents to unwrap. There's been one from Michael, Claudia, Eva, Hunter, and Noah; one from Ryan, Julia, Oliver, and Jack; one from Johnny, Laura, Sammy, and Ellie; _three_ from Sue and Jerry; and a small hamper of individually wrapped things from Chloe that the woman had bought or made for her. Beca had felt like the luckiest woman on the planet.

Chloe had unwrapped the two presents from Beca last. And had cried, hard, throwing her arms around the brunette's neck and hugging her tight as she mumbled a 'thank you' into her neck. Beca hadn't thought the presents had warranted tears but she'd been relieved that her girlfriend had liked them. It had only been a couple of photobooks, one containing a lot of the photos that Chloe had taken of them and The Bella's during their European Tour.

The other present had been a photobook with photos of the two of them together taken over the past six years. She'd had to reach out to The Bella's on Whatsapp asking that they send over any photos they had of her with Chloe to put in this book. She'd been surprised not only with the speed in which her friends had responded but also how many stealth-photos the women had taken of the two of them over the years. Some way before Fat Amy had begun teasing them, and some way before Beca had even entertained the idea that maybe, just _maybe_ , she might feel a little something more for Chloe than she did her other friends. And Beca had looked at those photos with a hint of awe at the expression on Chloe's face when she had looked at Beca back then. And even the look on Beca's face when she'd looked at Chloe. How had she not noticed their chemistry?

Now the two women walked slowly to a park bench. Chloe put the brakes on the stroller before reaching down and unstrapping her youngest niece. Meanwhile, Beca had bent down to pull out a small bag of bread from under the stroller, chuckling and struggling as Max the Labrador snuffled by her arm, desperate to get to the bread first.

"Max!" Chloe said in a warning tone, and the dog stepped away from the stroller to join the redhead who had slowly begun wandering down to the edge of the park pond, her niece in her arms. It had been the idea of Sue Beale that the two women have the opportunity to go out for a walk just the two of them, knowing full well how wonderful yet overwhelming her family could be on Christmas Day, particularly with all the children who were hocked up on sugar and Christmas spirit. So she'd sent them out to take Max for a walk, suggesting they take Ellie, the easier of her grandchildren, to the local park to feed the ducks so that Beca and Chloe could have a bit of privacy during their first Christmas together.

Beca joined her girlfriend, who was now crouched down by the pond, Ellie stood between her knees. Chloe held her niece by the back of her little coat so she didn't wander too close to the water's edge. Max wagged his tail in recognition as Beca crouched beside Chloe, opening up the bag of bread.

"Ellie look, shall we take some bread to feed the duckies?" Chloe said in an affectionate tone and the 18 month old gave Beca a broad smile that was fast becoming the signature Beale smile, before reaching out and taking a piece of bread that the petite brunette had been holding out at her. The kid lobbed the bread at the pond, and several ducks swam as fast as possible to the bread, one of them getting to it first. Ellie squealed with laughter and the women chuckled as the ducks turned to them expectantly.

Twenty minutes later Beca, Chloe, Ellie, and Max slowly made their way back down the path away from the pond, the little girl waving at the ducks with her left hand as she held her Aunt's hand. Beca pushed the empty stroller, Max walking alongside her obediently on her right, Chloe walking with Ellie to her left.

"Do you ever think about us maybe having a baby one day?"

Beca swallowed loudly, her heart skipping a beat at her girlfriend's question. She looked out at the park around her, but could see out of the corner of her eye Chloe looking at her cautiously.

"Um…" was all she could muster, but Chloe began to ramble quickly, nervously.

"I know, I know, they cost a lot of money and take a lot of commitment and right now we probably can't afford a baby but maybe one d-"

"We could afford to have a baby now." Beca quickly interjected. She turned her head to look at her girlfriend as they continued to slowly walk. Chloe's mouth had dropped open, clearly surprised by Beca's calm response. But why couldn't Beca be calm about this? Since meeting Chloe's nieces and nephews a few months ago and seeing how wonderful her girlfriend was at interacting with and taking care of them Beca had toyed with the idea that yes, they'd one day have a family of their own. She just hadn't mentioned it to Chloe before now.

"I mean, I've been talking to your brothers about it and they say how expensive having kids is but…well they don't earn nearly as much as I do and I'm not even where I want to be in my career." Beca said as she looked out at the trees lined up ahead of them.

"You talk to them about that stuff?" Chloe asked quietly and Beca turned to look back at her girlfriend with a small shrug.

"Sure…I mean…they're the main breadwinners so I figured finding out from them is better than finding out from your sisters-in-law."

It was true, Beca was the main earner out of the two of them. Hardly difficult when Chloe only earned money from the 40 hours she worked a week at the coffee shop in NYC, the rest of her time spent volunteering at the local theatre group in Brooklyn. Since her latest promotion Beca had insisted that she pay for Chloe's third of the rent too, and that Chloe simply paid for their food and half of the bills. Chloe had protested, but Beca had felt it was only fair. What Chloe didn't know was how good Beca was at saving money. She put aside a quarter of her earnings every month to put into savings. Her hope had always been that one day she could buy her own house. This year however it had turned into a hope that one day she and Chloe could buy their own house together. What Chloe didn't know about money wouldn't hurt her.

Beca saw tears begin to form in Chloe's eyes as the redhead beamed at her. She could tell her girlfriend was lost for words. But she didn't want her to get her hopes up too quickly. She knew what Chloe was like. She would get swept up with an idea and it would suddenly become her soul focus until it became a reality. So Beca stopped, turning her body to face Chloe, holding a hand out as if trying to help the woman reel her thoughts back in. Chloe had stopped in her tracks and watched Beca with her bright blue eyes that were shimmering with tears.

"Just…lets wait a bit yeah? Until I've at least got this next promotion." Beca said seriously, almost as if she were begging her girlfriend to give her a little more time. She may be earning quite well at the moment, but it wasn't enough for them to raise a child comfortably on one income in Brooklyn. Not yet anyway. She'd heard along the grapevine at work that a position may be opening for a 'Junior Music Producer' at Residual Heat. That was the promotion she was eyeing up. Her boss loved her, the team that she led at the moment loved her, and she worked really hard for that company. She couldn't see why she wouldn't get that position once it came up.

Beca felt Max scrambling at their feet between them and she grinned. What she was about to say next would likely elicit a squeal from her girlfriend. And so with a deep breath she shrugged.

"And maybe if we start out with getting a dog, see how that goes with our finances and jobs, then we can look into what we'd have to do to have a baby."

Chloe's squeal was everything Beca had expected and more as the redhead dropped her niece's little hand and flung her arms around Beca's neck. Both women grinned.

"You mean it?" Chloe asked, squeezing Beca a little tighter and the petite brunette chuckled.

"Yeah I mean it Chlo. I think we should start reading up on how to look after a dog." Because that was how Beca worked. Things that required a big commitment needed to be read up on before doing. For example: before they moved up to Brooklyn, Beca had read several books and done research online about how best to go about finding somewhere to rent, noticing the signs of a good landlord, the best mode of transport around Brooklyn, the average cost of bills...

Beca let out a yelp which caused Chloe to jump back from her in confusion. But the brunette said nothing, instead dashing past her girlfriend and across the grass behind her. Because since her Auntie Chloe had let go of her hand, Ellie Beale had quickly toddled her way across the grass, away from her Aunts, and back towards the duck pond. Beca managed to wrap her arms around the child's waist and scoop her up just before she reached the water's edge.


	31. Epilogue XVI - Aubrey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Aubrey gets serious...]

The Lodge of Fallen Leaves was a bright retreat that lay in the depths of the Georgia countryside. Surrounded by trees and nature, a cluster of plush log cabins lay towards the back of the land allocated to the staff that worked at the retreat. And the largest of those log cabins belonged to the owner and manager of the successful complex, Aubrey Posen.

The environment around the cabin was silent, save for the birds that were singing their early morning song, and the sunrise began drifting through the windows, blocked by the thick blinds. The twenty eight year old stirred in her sleep, taking in a deep intake of breath and holding it as she heard her phone beginning to ring. She exhaled loudly, reaching out to her bedside table to pick up the device.

Aubrey let out a little groan as she blinked at the screen and saw Chloe's name flash up. Her heart sank. It was 5am and she'd not had a drunk call from Chloe at this time in the morning for a very long time. Not since Chloe had been in her final year of college and called Aubrey on occasion after a house party, drunk and upset about how much she loved Beca and how unfair it was that Beca didn't seem to feel the same way. She'd not had a call like that in several years and Aubrey wondered if Chloe and Beca had had a falling out.

"Chloe?" Aubrey mumbled drowsily as she answered her phone, sitting up slowly. She could hear heavy breathing coming from the other end of the line and the blonde furrowed her brow.

"Aubrey…hey!" Chloe breathed merrily down the phone.

"Chloe what…what's going on?"

"Huh? Oh…I just…had to go for a run…to de-stress…"

"De-stress?" Aubrey heard Chloe stop running, breathing deeply, and the blonde let out a yawn as she waited for her best friend to elaborate.

"So...later today," Chloe explained, her breathing steadying with each word, "I'm meeting Beca's Dad and Step-Mom for the first time…And I'm really nervous."

Aubrey looked to her right, "You've met Beca's Dad before though?" Aubrey said in a low voice. They all had met Beca's Dad before. In fact she didn't think he'd been quite as bad as Beca always seemed to make out.

"Yeah but not since Beca and I got together. Bree, he really doesn't like me."

Aubrey stifled a yawn before ribbing her eye with the palm of her hand, "How do you know he doesn't like you?"

"If he liked me, he would be happy for Beca that she and I were together." The woman had a point. When Aubrey had met up with Chloe in the new year she had been surprised to find out that Beca's Dad had reacted pretty badly to the news. Apparently it hadn't seemed to affect Beca so much, but it had _really_ affected Chloe. Chloe who had come from a warm loving family, who cared for each other deeply, and never wanted to see each other unhappy. The redhead had struggled to understand why Beca's Dad had reacted so badly.

"He's still not apologised for Christmas huh?"

"Not exactly. If it wasn't for Sheila sending Beca a message on Facebook we would've never known they were coming up to the city for the week."

"Are they staying at yours?"

"God no!" Chloe said quickly, a horrified tone to her voice, "No, Beca's Dad wants to see the state of the apartment and Beca said they could pop round for a coffee. I just…ugh I really want him to like me!" Aubrey knew her best friend well and she knew that Chloe wanted everyone to like her. She knew that the redhead hated it if she sensed or knew that someone didn't like her, and she'd go out of her way to make them like her. But Beca's father was going to be a tough cookie to crack, even for the loveliest person on the planet. "Beca may not have seen him in three months but he's still her family." Aubrey pushed back her bedcovers, quietly sliding across to the edge of her large bed, bringing her legs over the side, keeping her voice low.

"Well, Chloe you make Beca really happy. Only an idiot could miss that. So I wouldn't feel nervous. Beca loves you. You love her. And that's all that matters right?"

"Yeah…right…thanks Bree. And thanks so much for answering! I figured you'd be awake, what with the retreat and everything."

Aubrey swallowed loudly. Normally she would be awake at this time. Normally she'd be up and showered and sipping her first green tea of the day by now. But Aubrey turned to look over her shoulder at the figure that lay serenely on the other side of her bed.

It had been almost eight months since Aubrey and Staci'd had a fling in Europe. Since leaving Prague neither woman had really messaged each other. They hadn't Facetime'd. But Staci _had_ found herself conveniently checking into the retreat to 'use the spa facilities' every three to four weeks when she wasn't required to work on some photo shoot, or go to perform at some fashion show somewhere in the world.

For many of Aubrey's colleagues, Aubrey having a friend stay at her lodge didn't seem like an unusual assumption. Even if it _was_ the same friend. What they didn't know was that the two women were essentially still having a fling. Four-day flings every three to four weeks. Aubrey would run the retreat during the day while Staci did use the spa facilities. Then come the evenings they curled up with wine and movies and sex.

"So how are things?" Chloe asked down the phone, just as Staci began to stir in the bed beside Aubrey. The blonde swallowed loudly again as the tall brunette gently sat up slightly, looking over at her, wondering why she was on the phone. "Are you seeing anyone?" Chloe's voice rang out of the phone loud and clear and Aubrey noticed a mischievous grin appear on Staci's face.

"Um…" Aubrey hesitated, watching as the tall brunette began slowly crawling towards her on the bed.

"Oh my _God_ you _are_! Okay, spill…" Chloe demanded enthusiastically, but Aubrey was speechless as Staci arrived behind her, placing a long soft kiss on her left shoulder blade. "What's his name? How did you meet?"

Aubrey swallowed again as she felt Staci's lips trailing soft silent kisses from her shoulder blade up to the side of her neck, and she closed her eyes, bringing a hand to her forehead. "It's nothing. There's nothing to tell. Early days..." she said hastily as Staci's breath sent goosebumps racing over her body from her neck down to her fingertips, "I...have to go start work, but good luck today Chlo and let me know how everything goes!"

Aubrey had never spoken so quickly in her life. And she most certainly had never hung up on Chloe so abruptly. But this time she had, and with a sigh she ended the call and placed her phone on the bedside table as Staci let out a chuckle.

"It's nothing huh?" She heard Staci ask with a grin and Aubrey turned to look at her again, the woman in her bed putting her chin on her shoulder, "Do you _have_ to go to work today?" Staci asked in a disappointed tone and Aubrey felt her stomach lurch. She didn't want to go to work today. Of course she didn't. Not while the beautiful brunette sat in her bed with nothing more than an oversized t-shirt that Staci left at Aubrey's during the weeks that she worked away. Aubrey never told Staci that she wore it overnight while she was away, but Staci knew. It smelt of Aubrey's 'Nivea Passion Fruit Body Butter' each time she wore it when she returned to the retreat – the body butter that the blonde moisturised her skin with each night.

"You say that every morning we wake up together" Aubrey said with a smile, loving the feel of Staci's breath on her neck as the brunette began gently kissing her skin, "and every time I tell you yes, because I actually run this place…

"And you run it very well I might add." Staci mumbled while her fingers traced delicately down the skin of Aubrey's left arm.

"Thank you" she replied, sitting up straight, proudly. The movement caused Staci to sit back from Aubrey's neck as the blonde looked at the woman with her eyebrows raised, "but that's because I don't pull a sicky whenever my friend conveniently flies in for a few days from wherever she's been in the world, every few weeks or so…"

"Just your friend huh?" Staci said with a wink and an affectionate poke with her finger into the woman's side, moving away from Aubrey and laying back on the bed with a gentle sigh. Aubrey adjusted her position so her body was turned more towards the brunette, replaying her words in her head. Did Staci want to be _more_ than just friends?

Aubrey was normally someone who knew what she wanted and held herself with enough air, grace and confidence to get it. But Staci revealed a side of Aubrey that even the blonde hadn't known existed. She was far quieter around Staci. Timid even. And that was probably due to the younger woman's confidence when it came to sex and affection. But it was also because Aubrey felt as though she had the weight of her strict family on her shoulders. If her father was ever to find out that she was having something with another woman, he'd likely disown her. She loved and respected her father so couldn't imagine her life without him and her mother in it. She was coy about broaching the subject of her and Staci becoming serious because she would eventually have to tell her family.

The thing was over the past few months she couldn't help but think how perfect her life had been going. Her retreat was in its fourth year and was going from strength to strength. She still stayed in touch with The Bella's who she'd once feared she'd lose touch with. And one of those Bella's laid before her right now, and was fast becoming someone that Aubrey was falling for. So the concept of becoming more serious with her didn't seem so terrifying. After all, it seemed to be working well enough for Chloe and Beca.

"Do you…want to be _more_ than friends?" Aubrey risked asking, peering at Staci intently as the brunette stared up at the ceiling, biting her bottom lip in deep thought, and silence fell in the room so the older woman continued, "Because…I'd be lying if I didn't say I missed you whenever we're apart…" Aubrey's heart began racing as Staci turned to look at her, a coy smile growing on her face.

"And I'd be lying if I said that I actually _can't_ stop thinking about you whenever we're apart. Like, ever." Staci said quietly, sitting up in Aubrey's bed, taking a deep breath before continuing, "And there's nobody I want to be with but you. Because I've kinda fallen for you, Aubrey Posen. Hard."

Aubrey couldn't help the smile that beamed from her face as she watched Staci bite her bottom lip again, evidently nervous and excited about where this conversation was leading. Because it _had_ been eight months. And they _had_ been exclusive. Even if they hadn't talked about it.

"I feel the same way about you" She admitted softly, and her heart soared as she saw a grin spread across Staci's face. Another silence fell over the room as the two women stared at each other, smiling, their chests rising and falling noticeably.

"I _hate_ that we don't talk much when I'm away" Staci added.

"I hate that too!" Aubrey gushed, hardly able to believe that Staci was essentially reading her mind, "I figured you didn't want to talk to me."

"I figured _you_ didn't want to talk to _me_!"

The two women giggled, excited that they were both on the same page. That this thing that had just started as a fling. A spur of the moment, one-off, 'what-stays-on-tour' type fling had blossomed into a… _relationship_?

"So…are we doing this then?" Aubrey asked quietly.

"Uhuh" Staci said with a soft grin.

"Like…exclusively?"

"Exclusively" Staci said confidently.

"You don't just have to say that because I'm sat right here you know." Aubrey couldn't help her slight reservation. Staci was a model, and a hot one at that. She was gaining more recognition the further the months went on. She was attending film premiers. Having photo shoots with gorgeous men who she draped over. Lavish, messy after-show parties that she was photographed at by the paparazzi. It was far from the world that Aubrey lived in. And suddenly the blonde felt insecure, "I get if you don't want to commit to anything. You're away so much and meeting so many handsome men and gorgeous women. If you want to keep things the way they are between us I ge-"

"Aubrey!" Staci interrupted, her expression being that of a woman who couldn't believe what she was hearing, "They don't matter. Nobody else matters. It's _you_ I want to be with. I want to be _your_ girlfriend."

Aubrey felt her heart soar as the brunette's green eyes shone at her in excitement and all of a sudden she felt a surge of tingling energy. She said nothing more and instead threw herself at Staci, wrapping her arms around the brunette's neck, kissing her hard as Staci pulled her back onto the bed and on top of her body.

Aubrey conceded. She was going to have to skip her morning green tea.


	32. Epilogue XVII - Old Mercury

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Beca & Chloe's first anniversary..]

Candles? Check. Yellow gerberas? Check. Blanket on the floor? Check. Picnic basket filled with Chloe's favourite picnic foods? Check. Rosé chilling in that crazy wine cooler Sheila had sent them as an apartment-warming gift a couple of years ago? Check. Sambucca? Check. And those two weird little bunny-shaped shot glasses Chloe had found, bought, and adored at a flea market last year? Check-check.

Beca stood back from where she'd been crouched in the centre of her bedroom and admired her handiwork. One year. _How_ had it been _one year_ already? One year since she'd finally caved and revealed her deepest secret to the one woman she'd feared telling the most, who happened to be the one woman to breathe a breath of fresh air into her life the moment she'd revealed it. To give her more hope and happiness then she'd ever felt before.

Beca had successfully got time off work today to gather the final things for Chloe's present and set up what she hoped was the redhead's idea of a perfect anniversary evening. She knew it was the first anniversary Chloe had ever experienced with someone and so Beca wanted it to be special. The brunette had miraculously managed to dive into the shower and get ready before Chloe had got home from work, and had just spent a good couple of hours tidying the spare room and setting up the picnic.

Tonight was going to be a night that Chloe would never forget, Beca was sure of it. The brunette smiled as she imagined the look on her girlfriend's face when she opened the present she had bought for her. The picnic idea was largely concocted from a discussion she had had with Aubrey, one of Chloe's dearest friends, on the phone earlier that day. A phone call that had opened somewhat surprisingly.

_Beca quietly placed her key in the lock of the front door of her apartment and gently shunted the door open with her hip. She stuck her head through the doorway and paused, straining her ears for any sound of her girlfriend. It was a stroke of luck really that there was rarely a time that Chloe was quiet when in their apartment. The redhead always sang or hummed or muttered to herself as she organised one thing or another. Beca loved it. Particularly now when she needed to sneak into the apartment._

_When she knew the coast was clear, Beca shoved her way through the front door, dragging bags along with her. One of the bags contained her lunch – a large pack of sushi that Chloe had somehow got her addicted to. The other two bags contained things that were imperative to Chloe's anniversary present. The brunette headed straight for her bedroom. Well, the bedroom that had once been considered her bedroom. Now that room was regarded as the spare room. The dressing room. The walk-in wardrobe. The room where an overspill of items that made the lounge a little slobbier than Chloe would like belonged._

_Beca placed all the bags on the space that remained on the double bed in the spare bedroom and took her phone out of her back pocket to check the time. One o'clock. She had three hours before Chloe left work and she was still stuffed on ideas of what to do to celebrate their anniversary. She'd never really had to do it before. The only 'first anniversary' she'd had before now was with Jesse several years ago and the man had been such a romantic that she hadn't needed to make any effort at any point during their relationship. He'd always made the moves. He'd always arranged things for them to do._

_In fact on their first anniversary he'd made Beca a photo montage set to his favourite music scores. He'd managed to send Benji out of their shared room in the Treblemakers frat house, and had created a 'movie theatre' style set-up in the bedroom with a mini projector, popcorn, candy and soda. To many it would be the perfect romantic first anniversary date. But Beca had cringed as the photos of her projected onto the wall. It may have been his ideal date-night idea, but it was far from hers. If Beca had had it her way they would've just ordered take-out, had some beers, maybe put on some music, and chatted._

_Yep, Jesse had always made the moves. He'd always arranged things for them to do. And Beca had to admit to herself, she should've broken up with him far sooner. Because she'd really felt uncomfortable having someone focus their entire attention on her. No, scratch that, she'd felt uncomfortable having Jesse focus his entire attention on her. And that wasn't the type of feeling someone should have when spending their anniversary with their significant other._

_Not only had she never really needed to make an effort to organise something as nice as a date night due to Jesse's innate ability to make every moment between them like something from a movie, but Beca had found that she hadn't ever wanted to make an effort. With Chloe however, things were different. Beca was pulled between two things: her desire to make Chloe as happy as possible, and her duty as Chloe's girlfriend to provide the redhead with the best anniversary possible. That meant jumping out of her comfort zone and organising something romantic and meaningful. The thing was, Chloe was often the mastermind when it came to ideas. So Beca was completely at a loss of what to do._

_The brunette let out a long sigh and unlocked her phone. She'd have to do it. She'd have to call Aubrey Posen. She glanced at the time fleetingly as she began to call Chloe's closest friend, and hoped that the blonde would answer, knowing full well that the woman was busy running her successful team building retreat and spa. Fortunately she was in luck._

_"Beca hey! Long time no speak!" Beca froze, furrowing her brow slightly, not only at the words spoken (which were far too cheery for Aubrey) but also the sound of the person's voice. Long time no speak? Who did she know, who sounded like that, who would greet her that brightly? It had to be a Bella. But which Bella cou-_

_"…Staci?"_

_"Um yeah? Who else would it be!" Beca furrowed her brow further, unknowingly wandering slowly around the floor of the bedroom. Why was Staci answering Aubrey's phone? As far as she was aware the two had never really spoken to each other. Ever. And since Staci had graduated from Barden her career had shot up. Chloe had even shown her pictures from an online newspaper just yesterday of Staci leaving a club in Cannes with a man rumoured to be her boyfriend. The woman had only just been photographed in Europe. How was she now with Aubrey's phone? Beca pulled the phone from her ear briefly to look at the screen. No, it was definitely Aubrey's number._

_"Um…I expected it to be Aubrey?" Beca said, returning the phone to her ear, "because this is her number." The petite brunette strained her ears as she heard Staci pause then swear under her breath. She got the vibe that Staci hadn't meant to answer Aubrey's phone. There was dead air between the two women as each racked their brains to come up with something to say. While Beca was wondering how or why Staci had come to be in possession of Aubrey's phone, Staci was busy wondering if there was any way that she could throw Beca off the scent that she and Aubrey were more than just friends. But the tall model had no such luck, because Beca was gradually beginning to ask herself if something more was going on here. The best way to find out was to gauge Aubrey's reaction._

_"Is Aubrey there?" Beca asked, her brow still furrowed._

_"Um no she…is really sick." Beca couldn't help the smirk that had begun to grown on her face. Okay that was a stupid answer even for Staci. Aubrey never got sick. Something had to be going on, though Beca couldn't be sure what._

_"Really sick huh?"_

_"Uhuh"_

_"And you flew all the way to Aubrey's retreat from Cannes to take care of her?"_

_"Um…sure. That's what friends are for right?"_

_"Riiight" Beca couldn't help the massive grin of disbelief that was now spread over her face. Oh this excuse was going to be good. Now where was Aubrey?_

_"Oh come on, you'd do the same for Chloe!" Staci protested and Beca could sense how flustered she was becoming. Staci never got flustered._

_"Well yeah, but Chloe's my girlfriend…" Beca said, then she paused and stopped in her tracks. Holy shit. Aubrey and Staci were seeing each other! As if almost on cue, Beca heard the familiar sound of Aubrey's voice singing out loudly and happily the chorus of "I Wanna Dance With Somebody". There was no way that woman was sick. The blonde had evidently stopped in her tracks, the song petering away from her lips into silence and Beca strained her ears for any dialogue between her two friends. But Beca concluded the two women must have got good at reading each other's minds. With the silence being too much for the petite brunette who was not only desperate to ask Aubrey what was going on but also running out of time to put something together for Chloe this evening, she cut through the silence._

_"Staci, put Aubrey on the phone." Beca asked firmly, though her grin still remained. Oh she was going to enjoy this! She could heard the phone leaving Staci's ear and Aubrey taking it before the blonde cleared her throat and spoke to her._

_"Hello?" Beca had never heard Aubrey sound so nervous in all the time she had known the older woman. But it turned out, despite having known her for seven years, there was a lot about Aubrey Posen that she didn't know. Like how long she'd been having a 'thing' with another woman! Aubrey Posen was definitely the last Bella she'd ever imagined batting for the other side. Well, save for Emily who was precious and sweet and innocent and childlike and definitely ran away with the idea that she was a Disney princess and would happily wait about for Prince Charming to sweep her off her feet. But then again, Beca imagined Chloe had once been like that, probably up until she met her. So there was no guaranteeing Emily would end up with a boy. Not that it mattered, Beca thought, so long as she was happy. Speaking of happy, Beca still had a grin on her face,_

_"Aubrey Posen you dirty bird!" she took great pleasure in saying to the blonde down the phone in a teasing tone and she was fairly certain she could hear Aubrey go bright red. Oh this was golden!_

_"I…don't know what you're referring to." she didn't sound too sure and Beca still grinned broadly. It wasn't that she hated Aubrey. Absolutely not. Aubrey was one of Chloe's closest friends and since Beca and Chloe had become a couple the woman had actually been very supportive of them together. But there was still a twinge of mutual nastiness between Beca and Aubrey. Where they would take it in turns to make snide comments about each other, to each other, here and there. Not loudly in front of Chloe, but certainly under their breath. Beca certainly wanted to make the most of this opportunity to tease the woman though_

_"Uhuh…" Beca said with a grin, loving the sound of how flustered Aubrey was getting on the other end of the phone._

_"This'd better be important Beca." Aubrey said with a warning tone but Beca couldn't let it go. She had to know._

_"Oh I'm sorry, was I just interrupting you and Staci, alone, in your romantic little cabin…?" Beca felt elated as she could sense how desperate Aubrey wanted to curl up into a little ball of embarrassment, "Seriously? You and Staci? How did that even happen?!" and Beca dared to let out a little chuckle as Aubrey released a defeated sigh._

_"Beca if you don't tell me why you called then I'm going to hang up." The grin immediately dropped from Beca's face as Aubrey won the upper hand. Because Beca needed Aubrey to help her right now, far more than she needed to tease Aubrey. She could tease later._

_"Alright alright. Chloe and I have been together for a year today, and I've no idea how to celebrate it. Any suggestions?"_

_And Beca spent the next thirty minutes on loudspeaker to Aubrey and Staci as they helped her come up with the idea for exactly how Chloe would want to spend her first anniversary. Chloe found indoor picnics romantic, Beca would try to source the same make of rosé that they'd had on their first date, and the idea of sambucca shots were met with mixed reviews: Staci saying "go for it!" and Aubrey saying "absolutely not!"_

Beca pulled her phone out and was about to text her girlfriend to come through into their spare bedroom when her phone chimed. It was a message from Chloe: **Come through to the kitchen B, I've got a surprise for you! Xxx**

Beca's heart skipped a beat. She'd heard Chloe come home about two hours ago. She'd heard her stop at the closed door of their spare room and giggle at the sign Beca had messily stuck on there telling her not to enter. She'd heard Chloe duck into the bathroom and have a long shower, then potter about their bedroom next door, evidently doing her makeup and getting dressed. But Beca wasn't sure how long it had been since Chloe had left their bedroom and gone to the kitchen. So with one last glance around the now tidy spare room, Beca eased through the door and closed it behind her.

The smell that hit her nostrils immediately made her stomach rumble and Beca felt a smile grow on her face as she began slowly walking through the apartment towards the kitchen. She paused in the doorway and grinned as her eyes landed on her beautiful girlfriend. Chloe wore a bright blue dress, a plunging neckline that emphasised her chest, the fabric gripping in at her hips then flowing down, stopping just above her knees. Her long red hair trickled across her shoulders and down her back, having been fashioned into loose curls by Chloe's favourite wireless hair straighteners. And she wore rose coloured lipstick, which didn't detract away from her beautiful eyes that were complimented by a set of her favourite fake eyelashes and a lick of eyeliner on the edge of the tops of her eyelids.

Beca could hardly catch her breath as Chloe tentatively poured bolognese sauce over the spaghetti she had evidently been cooking over the past half hour, careful not to spill any down her front. Beca loved the way Chloe bit her bottom lip whenever she concentrated hard on something. She waited until her girlfriend had placed the pan back on the stove before she spoke, not wanting to make her jump.

"So which bit is the surprise? My favourite meal? My girlfriend looking stunning? Or the fact that you're playing one of the mixed CDs I made for you years ago?" Beca asked as Chloe reached into their small fridge, because true enough, she was playing one of the mixed CDs that Beca had made for her for her twenty fourth birthday. The redhead simply giggled, before stepping towards her girlfriend and handing her a chilled beer. Beca took one look at the label and her face opened into a huge grin, "Woah! A bottle of Old Mercury?! Where did you find this?"

This bottle in her hands right now was Beca's most _favourite_ beer. She'd tried it for the first time when they were over in England on The Bella's European tour last year and she had pined for a bottle of it ever since they'd left. Beca had scoured the streets of NYC for any British stores that may sell it. But no luck. She'd given up all hope. Yet here it was, in her hands. She could still remember how good it tasted.

"I've had my family looking out for it for months!" Chloe said in delight, "Mikey was out at a conference in San Diego a few weeks ago and one of the Irish bars there was selling it by the bottle so he bought the last one and sent it to Mum & Dad's."

Beca refused to cry, but she stared a little more intently at the bottle then was necessary, entirely touched by the thought that had been put into this seemingly small gift, "I'm going to savour every last drop." Beca said quietly.

"Oh I wouldn't worry," Chloe began, as she moved backwards towards their small fridge, "Daddy bumped into an old work colleague last week who's son is a beer supplier…" And as Beca looked up from the bottle in her hands her mouth dropped open in surprise. Chloe opened the door of the fridge and laying on one of the shelves, stacked two high, were several more bottles of Old Mercury. "That's why he drove up here a few days ago. To drop a crate of these off."

Beca was lost for words. The Beale's had gone to so much trouble. But the mastermind behind it all was the woman stood before her, looking at her with a sheepish grin, as though wondering if the gift really was alright. Beca looked at her, tears threatening to appear in her eyes, and she felt stupid because it was all down to a bottle of beer. No, not just any beer, her _favourite_ beer. A beer that was almost unfindable here in the US, and somehow Chloe had made it her mission to find it for her. Beca lunged forward and threw her arms around her girlfriend's neck, an action that caused a giggle to slip out of Chloe's mouth and drift into Beca's ear.

"Thank you" Beca mumbled into Chloe's hair as she squeezed her tight and she closed her eyes at the feel of her girlfriend wrapping her arms around her waist and holding her tight. They parted reluctantly, and Chloe briefly brought a hand up to tuck a piece of Beca's hair behind her ear, both grinning at each other, "I can't believe the effort you made getting hold of these" the brunette said, holding the bottle up slightly as a way of motioning to it.

"Well I wanted to get you something special," Chloe said with a smile, stepping back from her and walking to the small draw where their cutlery was stored, "I toyed with the idea of a necklace or a locket, but I didn't have much money. I toyed with the idea of baking you a bunch of stuff. I even almost made you a mixed tape," Beca was grinning as she watched Chloe chat away while pulling a couple of knives and forks out of the draw. She loved how animated the woman got when she spoke, "but then I was looking back through that photobook you got me for Christmas and saw the photos of you drinking that beer while we were in London and I thought, why not try to find you a bottle of that instead!"

"Well you have excelled. This is definitely the best anniversary gift I have ever received." Beca said looking down at the bottle again and licking her lips slightly. She couldn't wait to try some again.

"Right then, I thought we'd sit in the lounge? Better than leaning on the kitchen worktops huh." Chloe said brightly as she picked up the two plates which each boasted a large portion of spaghetti bolognese. Normally this would be Beca's ideal way to spend an anniversary. None of this crappy 'watching a mushy photomontage of herself set to film scores while eating popcorn which just got stuck in her teeth'. No. Sitting in a nice quiet room, with good music, her favourite meal, her favourite beer, and chatting to her favourite person. That, to Beca, was perfection. And Chloe had appeared to get it right first time.

But as Beca followed Chloe out of the kitchen, smelling the heavenly aroma of the bolognese that she knew to be Sue Beale's secret recipe, she remembered that she too had arranged what she thought would be the perfect evening for Chloe. And as this was the redhead's very first anniversary with someone, she wanted it to be special for her.

"Oh, shit…hang on…can we…um…" Beca paused as Chloe stopped in her tracks with a furrowed brow and turned her head to look at her, wondering what the brunette was doing, "…can we go to the spare room? I just…trust me…" Beca stuttered, before motioning down the apartment towards the bedroom doors. Chloe appeared to nod, which was enough for Beca to begin making her way down to the spare room. Her heart was racing a little. She was both nervous and excited. She knew Chloe was going to love this, but there was still an ounce of doubt that the redhead would. So Beca stopped at the closed door and turned to Chloe, raising her eyebrows to emphasise the order she was about to give her.

"Alright just…wait here a moment and close your eyes." Beca said, and she saw a smile spread across Chloe's face, her eyebrows rising as she did as she was told and closed her eyes, still holding both plates of Spag Bol. Beca nudged into the bedroom, quickly glancing around at its presentation and within a couple of moments she was satisfied enough to open the door wide. "Okay, step forward five paces?" Beca instructed, and while there was a brief moment of hesitation, Chloe did as she was told and stepped forward five paces, bringing her into the room. "Okay, you can open your eyes now if you want." Beca held her breath as she watched Chloe open her eyes and let out a gasp.

"Oh Beca…" was all the redhead could muster before tears became evident, her eyes now glistening in the reflection of the candles that were lit around the picnic area in the middle of the room.

Beca began making her way over to the blanket on the floor, "Now I know it's not a trip to London to have dinner at the place we had our first date. Believe me, I tried to get the time off work that would allow that but-"

"Beca this is _perfect_!"

Beca grinned awkwardly, thrilled that Chloe was so happy with the effort she'd made. She took one of the plates of Spag Bol from her girlfriend and motioned for her to sit on the blanket beside her, which she did. The two smiled at each other as Beca removed the lid of the rosé that had been chilling in the ice bucket beside the blanket, and poured Chloe a glass, handing it to her before opening her own beer. She didn't notice Chloe looking at her in anticipation as she took a long swig of the cool beer, closing her eyes as the cold liquid touched her tongue and Beca let out a satisfied sigh as she swallowed the mouthful with a grin. She'd missed this beer. She was slightly taken aback when she opened her eyes and saw her girlfriend smiling at her reaction to the gift. _Gift_!

"Oh, I haven't given you your gift yet!" Beca said in an apologetic tone, and she placed her plate of food down before lifting the lid of the picnic basket. She pulled out an envelope and an A5 sized gift box which had a lid and red bow on top. Beca felt her heart-rate increasing as she handed the envelope and box to her girlfriend who had placed her plate on the floor beside her legs, and looked at her with a curious expression before glancing down at the envelope and box in her hands. "Open the envelope first. Then you can open the box." Beca directed, and she found herself holding her breath again as she watched the woman eagerly rip open the envelope and pull out a card.

It was as though time had stood still. Chloe peered at the front of the card, her chest beginning to rise and fall a little faster with every few seconds that went by. Beca bit her bottom lip in anticipation. She was going to freak. Chloe opened the card, so the front faced the brunette, as she read the words within the card. The front of the card had a Polaroid photo of a small white Labrador puppy slotted into the front. The words on the front of the card read **Happy First Anniversary Mommy!**

Beca watched as Chloe read the words within the card twice, then suddenly looked up at her, a shocked smile on her face. Beca simply smiled, "Open your present" and her heart rate continued to ram along at a fast rate as Chloe quickly lifted the lid of the gift box and let out a short squeal, reaching in a pulling out a tiny pink dog collar. Almost instantly tears began welling up in the redhead's eyes as she grabbed the card and stared at the Polaroid on the front of it, her mouth open in shock, realising it was a real photo.

"That's a photo of our puppy Chlo. We pick her up tomorrow."

Before Beca could say anything else an excitable shriek left Chloe's mouth, and the woman threw herself at the petite brunette, wrapping her arms around her neck and hugging her tight. She could hear Chloe begin to cry loudly and Beca reached around to peel the redhead's arms from around her with a chuckle. Chloe didn't stop crying, "Is…is this a joke?" she sobbed.

"Nope. That's really our puppy right there Chlo."

And Chloe began crying louder, before ducking forward and kissing Beca hard on the lips, her tears mixing across their tongues, her hands cupping Beca's cheeks.

"But…how… _when_ did you have time to organise this?" Chloe sobbed as she pulled away from Beca's face to look down at the photo of their puppy once again.

"One of my colleagues has a brother out in Connecticut who breeds dogs. I spoke to him a little while back about maybe taking one of the puppies from his next litter off his hands." Beca explained softly, a broad smile on her face, "He arranged for me to pop over last week and meet them and this one was _just perfect_ Chlo. So she's ready to leave her mother tomorrow and come home with us." To her surprise she saw Chloe look up from the card in her hand, a worried expression on her face.

"But…we don't have anything for her. No food, or a bed-" But Chloe stopped the moment Beca held a hand up at her.

"That is where the rest of your present comes in…" the brunette started, and she stood up from the blanket and strode over to the other side of the bed. Beca dragged a dog crate into Chloe's view, "…I got us a crate, so we can crate train her…" she then took hold of a large bag with bits and bobs in. She pulled each item out one by one, holding them out to show Chloe,

"…there's a lead here…" she placed the lead on top of the crate,

"…and a cool squeaky toy…" she squeezed a plastic green cartoon alien and chuckled at it's sound before placing it on the crate with the lead,

"…some treats…" a packet of dog treats were plonked on the crate,

"…and I got this little cuddly toy for her because apparently puppies like to have a cuddly toy to curl up with when they're in their new home…" she said as she placed a toy bunny on the crate,

"…which I read in this book here…" and Beca held up a book called So you're getting a puppy! before placing it on the little room that was left on top of the crate,

"…and finally I bought us this to look through tonight and tomorrow." and Beca held up a Baby Names book which caused Chloe to raise her eyebrows slightly, so the brunette quickly felt the need to explain "Well, we've got to have a name for her!"

"Alba" Chloe said in a flash, taking Beca by surprise.

"Huh?"

"Her name is Alba"

"Um…" Beca glanced from her girlfriend, to the book in her hand, then back to her girlfriend again. She was confused. Had Chloe already had their dog's name picked out?

"When I was growing up I always wanted a dog and I promised myself that when I was an adult I'd call my first dog Alba. It means 'White'. And she's a white Labrador." Chloe said, motioning to the puppy in the photo that was now in her hand.

Beca couldn't help the smile that grew on her face. Why was she so surprised that Chloe had already named their puppy long before they'd even discussed getting one? Alba was a nice name. Beca, Chloe and Alba. Yeah, perfect.

"Alba it is." Beca said with a smile and she chuckled as Chloe let out another little squeal before quickly getting to her feet and dashing over to Beca, pulling the petite brunette into a tight hug and kissing her hard on the lips. Yeah, this was already the best first anniversary Beca had ever had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew - there we go, all 32 chapters uploaded in one go.
> 
> I hope you've loved reading this fic so far!
> 
> Next update will not be for a couple of days...but I hope to have it posted by the end of the weekend!
> 
> Comments & Kudos really appreciated of course :)


	33. Epilogue XVIII - Central Park

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe and Beca face the highs and lows of having a puppy...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Alright gang? For what it's worth I was listening to "The Oh Hellos" when writing this chapter. Particularly their songs 'The Lament of Eustace Scrubb' and 'Wishing Well'(*)
> 
> (*)'Wishing Well' you'll recognise from the movie 'Table 19' if you've watched it. If you haven't then do - it's wonderful!

**Epilogue XVIII - Central Park**

* * *

There was a nice light breeze drifting between the trees in Central Park which turned the first of September in New York City from a potentially boiling day, into a hot yet acceptable one. Chloe Beale slowly wandered along the path, her right hand entwined with Beca's left, her left hand holding tightly to a pink lead. And on the end of that lead was her puppy. Her beautiful, excitable, inquisitive, affectionate, adorable puppy. Her Alba.

It had been a challenging yet enjoyable six weeks since they had picked her up. It turns out raising a puppy wasn't quite as easy as Chloe had always imagined it to be. It wasn't enough to be kind and gentle with it and hope that it would behave because you were nice. No, the puppy still had accidents, still chewed almost everything in sight, and yet looked up at both her mother's with those big eyes that immediately made Chloe and Beca forgive her.

Chloe glanced to her right, watching Beca grin down at their puppy while Alba tugged on the lead to investigate a wrapper that had been dropped by one of the park benches. Beca's attitude towards Alba had taken Chloe by surprise. The brunette had spent so many years screwing her nose up at the thought of having a dog that Chloe thought it would take a long time for the woman to warm to their little ball of fur. But in reality, Beca adored their puppy almost as much as she did.

_"Oh that would be so lovely!" Chloe exclaimed happily, holding her phone to her ear with her left hand, her right busy moving a mug to the Nespresso machine to make her girlfriend a coffee. This was her morning routine. She was always the first to get up and enjoyed being able to take Alba out for a short walk around the block before coming home and making Beca a coffee to slowly wake the brunette up before work. What wasn't her normal routine was a phone call from her mother so early in the morning. But Chloe didn't mind, she loved speaking to her. "I'll check with Beca that she hasn't got a gig to go to that night but if she doesn't then we absolutely must go for dinner!"_

_"Oh she doesn't have a gig on that night sweetheart," Sue Beale said down the phone to Chloe, who furrowed her brow slightly._

_"Okaaay and you know that how Mom…?" Chloe began to query, but her mother merely chuckled at her suspicion._

_"I texted Beca yesterday afternoon because I was struggling with Spotify and she called me to help. Did you know I can share my playlists with anyone I want? I just have to email them!" Sue said enthusiastically as though she had just experienced a piece of the future. But Chloe was unimpressed._

_"Mom, Beca was at work yesterday! What have I told you about contacting her during the day?" This wasn't the first time Sue had contacted Beca about something small that could wait until the evening and Chloe had a funny feeling it wouldn't be the last, no matter how many times the daughter warned her mother not to interrupt her girlfriend at work._

_"She was taking Alba for a walk and she called me!" Sue protested cheerfully, and Chloe rolled her eyes, allowing a small smile to creep onto her face._

_"Hmm…lucky you…"_

_"So your father and I will be with you about 4pm next Wednesday. You're sure work will let you finish early?" Sue said and Chloe's smile broadened._

_"Oh totes. They're pretty good like that."_

_"And you're sure it's okay we sleep in your spare room overnight?"_

_"Mom of courses it is! Definitely. Absolutely. You never need to ask!"_

_She loved that her parents liked to come up to New York and visit. And she loved that her parents loved Beca and Beca loved them. Her mother and girlfriend often texted back and forth every couple of days or so; Sue usually with a question about the music industry or technology, Beca usually with an answer. Jerry Beale was a little more reserved when it came to contacting Beca, but when he did it was often with a financial article he'd found online that he thought the brunette would find interesting. Which, to Chloe's surprise, Beca always did. Then there were the slightly more mortifying times when Sue or Jerry would text Beca a photo of Chloe when she was a baby or young child which Beca loved…_

_"Right, I'll catch up with you in the week then Mom." Chloe said as she began making her way through the apartment to her bedroom._

_"Righto sweetheart, have a lovely day, and send my love to Beca and my grandpup please!" Sue chimed back with affection._

_"Will do Mom," Chloe giggled in a quiet voice, "Love you lots."_

_Chloe nudged her way through the bedroom door as she ended the conversation with her mother, and stopped in the doorway. Her heart soared at the sight before her. The early morning light from the bedroom window trickled around the room and touched upon two lumps sprawled in the large Queen-sized bed. One was her girlfriend, the other her puppy. Each morning, after she had taken Alba for a little walk, Chloe would make her girlfriend a coffee while allowing the puppy to scuttle through to the bedroom and howl until Beca caved and scooped her up onto the bed to snuggle. At first the brunette had strongly objected, insisting that they needed to set out some boundaries for their dog or she would end up misbehaving. But that was three weeks ago and Chloe had simply ignored her protests every morning._

_The wearing down had finally worked. Now, laid out before her, was a pyjama-clad Beca, tucked up under the bedsheets, her bed hair smushed at all sorts of angles, laying on her right side as her left arm curled around the small body of their white Labrador puppy. Alba meanwhile, was laid out, her back against Beca's chest, head lolling on Beca's upper right arm that was stretched along the width of her side of the bed. Both were fast asleep._

_Chloe silently pulled her phone out in front of her, found the camera option, and bit her bottom lip as she pressed the button that would take the photo. She jumped as a loud noise sounded from the device that indicated that a photo had been taken. To her embarrassment both Beca and Alba jumped out of their sleep and blinked over at her. Despite Beca's frown at the redhead's action, Alba merely wagged her tail in recognition of her mother's return to the bedroom._

_"What are you doing?" Beca grumbled as Chloe reached down and placed her coffee on the small nightstand beside the bed with a smile. She loved how grumpy Beca was in the mornings._

_"You two were just too cute to not take a picture!" Chloe teased, a light giggle slipping out of her mouth as she heard Beca groan while she pulled her left arm from around their puppy and up to her face. Alba, having essentially been set free from the comfort of her Mama's arm, scrambled up to her little feet and began wagging her tail at Chloe who bent down and scratched behind her ears. Chloe's cooing soon turned into a long giggle as Beca let out an "argh!", Alba's tail accidentally hitting her in the face over and over while the puppy enjoyed Chloe's fuss._

_Beca's grumpiness immediately dissipated as she held her left hand to her face to protect it from Alba's tail, laughing as the puppy turned quickly and bundled into her, licking her face enthusiastically._

_"Okay OKAY!" Beca chuckled, scooping the puppy up and rolling onto her back, "How about we give Mommy some room huh?"_

_Chloe still loved the way Beca called her 'Mommy' when referring to her in front of Alba. The redhead slid her jeans off, pulled off Beca's hoodie that she'd chucked on before leaving the apartment earlier, and slid into the bed, pulling the sheets over her lower body just as her puppy scrambled into her lap, smothering her with licks to her chin._

_"See you DO love snuggles with Mommy and Mama, don't you!" Chloe cooed affectionately at the puppy who had now trailed her feverish licking to behind the redhead's ear, causing her to giggle once again._

_"You spoil that puppy, you know that right?" Beca muttered rhetorically but Chloe turned to beam at her, unsurprised by the broad grin that was on her girlfriend's face despite her tone of voice._

_"Oh you LOVE it!" She said, reaching out, pulling her girlfriend's hand to her lips and placing a chaste kiss on her palm. Beca quickly rolled her eyes but had no time to react to the quirkiness of the action, because Alba had remembered there was someone else in the bed other than Chloe, so scrambled back over to Beca excitably._

Okay so they'd had a few behavioural issues. The usual problems that Chloe had expected and Beca had read all about, such as toilet training (thank goodness Beca had bought that crate), and the nipping (but Alba had had no idea how sharp her little teeth were, and after looking up some advice videos on YouTube Chloe and Beca had just about trained their puppy out of nipping) had all been manageable. The crying and howling in the middle of the night had been unbearable but Beca had assured Chloe that Alba would eventually stop, which after ten sleepless nights she did.

The big issue however, that neither Chloe or Beca had anticipated, was how much Alba would chew. She chewed everything! From clothing and shoes, to the corner of their little sofa, from books and magazines to the tv remote. Beca had even had to replace the screen of her iPhone because she'd accidentally dozed off one Sunday afternoon with the puppy and her phone resting on her stomach. And the thing was, neither Beca or Chloe stayed mad with Alba for long. Which was probably a good job because last week had really been the last straw for both women.

_"Okay, don't get mad." Chloe said quickly as she dashed from the kitchen while Beca walked through the front door of their apartment. She saw the brunette pause and squint with a suspicious expression._

_"Well that's something a girl always wants to hear the moment she gets home from work" Beca said sarcastically, a slight grin appearing in the corner of her mouth as she shrugged her jacket off and hung it up on the coat peg beside her. "What would I be getting mad at?"_

_Chloe swallowed loudly, a sharp exhale leaving her mouth before screwing her face up slightly, "Remember how we agreed that we should keep the baby gate locked at all times whether Alba was in her crate or not?"_

_"Yeeeeaaahhh?" Beca replied suspiciously, looking directly at Chloe as though trying to read her mind._

_"And remember how I told you that I definitely knew how to lock it?" Chloe's heart began racing a little faster as she heard Beca let out a little groan, bringing her hands to her face, pushing back her brunette hair as she put two-and-two together and realised what Chloe was about to say. Chloe had been the last person to leave the apartment this morning. They had been locking the baby gate that stood in the doorway of the kitchen as a way of keeping their puppy in just one room to prevent any havoc, a tip that Beca had read in the book she had bought before they had picked Alba up._

_"Oh God, what did she do?"_

_Chloe bit her bottom lip. She wasn't going to lead with the fact that Alba had left three different piles of poop around the apartment, or that the puppy had peed in two corners of the lounge. Or that she'd managed to knock over the half bottle of Old Mercury beer that Beca had left on the coffee table which she had licked all up and consequently puked on the welcome mat that Beca now stood on. Chloe wasn't even going to bother mentioning that Alba had somehow got into the bathroom, chewed a bottle of the redhead's favourite shampoo and unraveled not one but two rolls of toilet paper, spreading shreds of it all around the bathroom and hallway. Chloe had fortunately managed to clean up all of those messes as best as she possibly could and so far it seemed unnoticeable. Thank goodness she had had the sense to close both the bedroom doors this morning! No, the thing that she needed to confess was something she knew wouldn't go down too well with her girlfriend._

_"Alba kinda found your converse…" Chloe said quietly. It had been a shock to the redhead when she had returned home a couple of hours ago. Not the smell of wee or the sight of poop, not the trail of toilet paper or patch of puke that she'd almost stepped in. No, it had been the terrifying trail of red fabric and mauled shoelaces that had lead to the rubber soles that had once been Beca's favourite pair of converse trainers. The soles that had laid in Alba's crate, the Labrador puppy having clearly found some sort of comfort in having them there with her._

_She watched as Beca took a deep intake of breath then growl slightly under her breath, and Chloe suddenly felt very guilty. It was all her fault. All of it. She'd been the one who had forgotten to check if she'd locked the baby-gate properly not Beca. Beca who had been so amazing letting them get a dog in the first place. Who had read and prepared as much as she could before they got their puppy. Who had stuck religiously to "doing the accounts" every week so they could afford to keep Alba while having enough money for themselves. And this was how Chloe was repaying her. By giving their puppy the space to maul her favourite pair of footwear._

_"Where is she?" Beca grumbled and Chloe stepped aside, nervously motioning to the kitchen, and her girlfriend didn't look at her, instead walking past her towards the kitchen. But Chloe furrowed her brow as Beca stopped in the doorway. "Um Chlo…seriously where is she?"_

_"She's in the kitchen." Chloe said, but her stomach knotted when she approached the brunette and saw her gesture at the baby gate that hung open. Chloe uncharacteristically swore under her breath as she met her girlfriend's eyes, Beca raising her eyebrows. Fortunately a slightly amused smirk appeared in the corner of Beca's mouth as though she couldn't believe her girlfriend had left the gate open again._

_Suddenly Chloe felt her blood go cold as a loud "yap" sounded from the back of the apartment. It was a specific yapping noise that Alba only made when she had found something to chew and seemed to tell it off while she chewed. And that noise had come from their bedroom. Chloe glanced at Beca who was already glaring at her, and the redhead followed her girlfriend as the two women dashed to their bedroom. They both silently prayed that they hadn't given the puppy too much time to trash the main room in their apartment that they valued._

_Beca reached the doorway first and froze, before quickly turning on her heels and holding her hands out to stop Chloe. The redhead felt her heart jump into her throat as she saw the look on Beca's face. The woman was no longer annoyed that was for sure._

_"Okay don't get mad…" Beca said, and had Chloe not been terrified about what state their puppy was in right now she would have giggled at her girlfriend repeating the very words she'd said to her when she had arrived home from work just minutes ago. Chloe noticed Beca wince before taking her hand and leading her into their bedroom. The redhead couldn't help the cry of dismay that left her mouth as her eyes landed on their puppy. Or more specifically her favourite wireless hair straighteners that were currently being gnawed to death by their puppy._

_"Alba no!" Chloe shrieked as she strode towards the dog, stooping down and immediately plucking what was left of the straighteners from Alba's grasp. These were her favourite straighteners! The best she'd ever had! She couldn't afford to replace them! Chloe could feel tears welling up in her eyes as she inspected the damage. There was no fixing them, the plastic coating proving that with the way it hung off the hot plates of the device._

_"Chloe, I know this looks bad, but…" Beca said as she began to approach the redhead but Chloe was devastated._

_"Beca these were my favourite straighteners!"_

_"I know…"_

_"They were a gift from Mom and Dad a couple of years ago!"_

_"I know, I know…" Beca said, bringing her hand up to stroke Chloe's upper arm as a form of comfort._

_"They're wireless!" Chloe exclaimed loudly, tears threatening to burst from her eyes. She hadn't meant to shout but she was in so much shock. How could she have been so stupid to leave that gate open for a second time that day? She heard Alba patter over to her and let out a little whine as she sat at her feet._

_"Look, Alba didn't mean to do it. See, she's really sorry!"_

_Chloe followed Beca's hand that had gestured to the puppy sat at their feet, looking up at them with big puppy-dog eyes, knowing that in some way she was in the wrong. But in an instant Chloe forgave her. Because Beca was right, Alba hadn't meant to do it. She was just a puppy. And it had technically been Chloe's fault for leaving the gate open._

That little fiasco had led Beca and Chloe to discuss and agree that it wasn't good for Alba to be left alone for the few hours of the day that Chloe was out at work. It was also agreed that while Chloe (and probably Chloe's colleagues) would love to have Alba in work with her, the coffee shop policy was that no animals of any kind were allowed onto the premises. The couple decided that Beca would have Alba with her instead – the perks of having her own office space and studio. So for the past week Beca had been taking Alba into work with her, ensuring that she took plenty of photos to keep Chloe updated, and Chloe had been meeting Beca at her work to pick Alba up and take her home once she'd finished working at the coffee shop each day. Since starting that routine, Alba had seemed far more settled and it guaranteed that Chloe would return home with their puppy to the same state of apartment that she had left.

"Oh my god she's  _adooorable_!" came a familiar voice as Chloe and Beca approached the Alice in Wonderland sculpture in Central Park. Striding towards them with a broad grin on her face was Chloe's dearest friend, Aubrey Posen. Chloe immediately noted just how well the blonde looked. Dressed in a pair of small denim shorts, a light flowing t-shirt and a large summer hat, the blonde beamed at the three of them but focused mostly on the puppy. This was perhaps the best she had ever seen her, and Chloe had known the woman for almost ten years.

Aubrey crouched down to greet the white Labrador who tugged excitably on the little pink lead until she reached the woman's open arms. Seeing Aubrey here was not a surprise though. They had arranged to meet her last week when she had texted Chloe completely out of the blue informing her that she was travelling over to NYC for twenty four hours. Naturally Chloe had been surprised that it was for such a short period of time, but her surprise had been short-lived the moment Aubrey mentioned that the reason for the brief visit was because the only time Staci would be in the country that month would be for twenty four hours, over the first of September, at a photo shoot in Central Park.

Aubrey stood up straight and pulled Chloe then Beca into tight hugs before they began slowly walking deeper into the park.

"So, Aubrey, you mentioned you're here to see Staci?" Beca said with a grin and Chloe beamed at the blonde who wore a coy smile as she looked down at Alba. Aubrey really  _did_  look happy.

"Um…yeah she's in London over the next couple of weeks then Paris a couple of weeks after that so we thought why not catch a few hours together in NYC before she has to leave in the morning."

Chloe couldn't imagine ever having to live like that. Having Beca work away while she stayed at home, carrying on with her life as best as possible, counting down the days until they were reunited again. She'd spent the first four years that she'd known Beca, pining for her. That feeling of unrequited love had made it feel as though she'd been a million miles away from the brunette, even if she'd been stood right next to her. Chloe didn't want anything remotely like that to happen again. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with Beca.

"Speaking of…" Aubrey said brightly and Chloe snapped out of her daydream to see a leggy brunette model striding over to them, a broad smile on her face. Chloe realised this was the happiest she'd ever seen Staci look too. The woman reacted much like her girlfriend had, immediately crouching down to fuss the Labrador puppy who scrambled to get as close to Staci's chin so she could lick it.

"My God guys, an apartment and now a  _puppy_? When are you gonna propose, huh Beca?" Staci said with a chuckle as she stood up straight and greeted the petite brunette with a hug. Chloe swallowed loudly, smiling in embarrassment as she saw an awkward expression on her girlfriend's face and the redhead felt for her. They'd had this discussion with Fat Amy a few months ago, who had appeared out of nowhere one day at the coffee shop that Chloe worked at while Beca had happened to be visiting on her lunch break. Fat Amy had asked them who would end up doing the proposing and while both Chloe and Beca had initially been reluctant to think about it, a fifteen minute discussion with the Australian had uncovered the decision that it would be Beca who would probably end up proposing to Chloe. A decision that Fat Amy had subsequently put on The Bella's WhatApp group, which had sent the other Bella's into a frenzy.

"Um…I um…it's good to see you Staci." Beca answered awkwardly as Staci let out another chuckle before giving Chloe a tight hug.

"Get Beca to propose, get married, then get some Aca-Babies on the go yeah? Auntie Staci wants a troop of mini-Bella's to pass her advice on to." Staci grinned as she gave Chloe a mischievous wink, revelling in the way that Beca now hand her hands up to her face in embarrassment. Chloe let out a small giggle, shaking her head slightly as if telling Staci off for how naughty she was being.

" _Believe_  me Staci, our children will  _not_ be getting advice from you!" Beca warned, but her cheeks flushed slightly as the model let out a teasing squeal, lunging towards her to jab her in the side with a big grin.

"Did Beca Effin Mitchell just admit that she and Chloe Jeffin Beale will one day have  _children_?!" Staci teased rhetorically and now it was Chloe's turn to bring a hand to her face in embarrassment glancing to her left at Aubrey who winked at her, clearly thrilled at the committed relationship her best friend was in. Beca and Chloe hadn't talked about having children much, but they  _had_  talked about it, which was more than the redhead ever thought she'd get when she'd first started dating Beca. It was in their future, they knew that. But Chloe knew it would be a few years yet. For now their puppy was taking up enough of their time, affection and Beca's money.

It was now Aubrey's turn on the 'Staci-affection-line' and Chloe's face broke into a broad smile as she watched both Aubrey and Staci take off their large summer hats with their left hands, and hold them either side of their faces. Chloe heard them kiss, but couldn't see it from beyond the hats. It was funny seeing Aubrey and Staci together. Like,  _together_ -together. But as the two placed their hats back on their heads with broad smiles on their faces, Chloe's heart soared. She loved seeing how happy Staci appeared to make Aubrey, the eldest watching in adoration as the model bent down again to interact with the puppy.

"Um, Stace, what's with the hats hiding your kiss?" Beca asked curiously, but Staci merely shrugged, not taking her eyes off Alba once as she spoke.

"There's paparazzi about today. They've been following me a lot recently... At the moment there's two in the distance to my right" the other three women looked to Staci's right but couldnt see anything, and Chloe realised they must be as good at hiding as she'd always heard paparazzi were, "and one swigging a coffee to my left, pretending to be a tourist." And sure enough, there was the guy Staci was describing. Short, rotund, with an odd combination of thick clothing for a hot summers day, a bucket hat, and a large 'tourist' camera round his neck, sipping from a coffee cup. Had Staci not pointed him out, Chloe would have definitely assumed he was a tourist. NYC was full of them, each looking more peculiar than the one before. "We're trying to keep a low profile in case the paps catch on to us being a thing and sell the story to a newspaper."

"I don't think I could handle the reaction my father would have to finding out about us from the newspaper or one of the neighbours." Aubrey added and all four women fell silent, each lost in their own thoughts about the sobering reality of Aubrey's family. Chloe had never met Mr Posen, but she'd heard plenty about him over the years that she'd known Aubrey. The blonde had a valid reason to be cautious, Mr Posen was strict and military, and this was possibly the first time the two women had been out and about together away from the safe bubble that had been The Lodge of Fallen Leaves. Chloe couldn't begin to imagine how terrified Aubrey must be on the inside, despite her current cheery disposition.

"Right, well I'm  _starving_! Lunch anyone?" Staci exclaimed, breaking the silence as she stood up straight, and Chloe furrowed her brow with an amused grin while handing the lead to Beca who held onto it with her right hand, jerking slightly as the labrador tugged towards a nearby tree.

"Are you  _allowed_  to have lunch?" She asked as they began walking, "I mean, you're halfway through a photoshoot..." Chloe took Beca's left hand again, entwining their fingers as the friends made their way down the path. Aubrey linked her arm with Chloe's before Staci took hold of the blonde's hand.

"Are you kidding?" Aubrey chuckled, "Staci doesn't miss  _any_  meal!" And Chloe smiled, surprised by this little nugget of information about Staci, with whom she didn't know a lot about. She was still trying to get used to hearing Aubrey talk animatedly about the brunette. Aubrey had never really talked animatedly about  _anyone_  before and so Chloe could tell just how much the blonde had fallen for the leggy brunette.

"I'm changing the face of modelling one burrito at a time." Staci added, and the women laughed as Alba led the way, scrambling after a pigeon that had dared to cross their path.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the patience in waiting for this chapter to be uploaded :)  
> Shout out to the Tumblr lot who have patiently waited for this chapter since I mentioned on there last night that I would have it uploaded within a couple of hours but I didn't... I actually fell asleep! Sorry!
> 
> A little drop of homework for you gang: Watch 'The One (Acoustic)' by 'Kodaline' on YouTube and get used to the way it sounds. Don't worry so much about the look of the video, just the music. It'll benefit you in a couple of chapters time ;)


	34. Epilogue XIX - ProCHLOsal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beca & Chloe take Chloe's parent's out for dinner. Beca has a very important question to ask Jerry and Sue..

"Beca, Chloe, hi!" The greeting was a breezy yet jovial one from a member of the waiting staff who skipped away from the door as the couple entered their local and favourite bar. It was busy tonight. The Rubix Bar was a quirky little joint that boasted beautiful old wooden panelling on its walls, a back-drop to the massive canvasses that had acrylic interpretations of the NYC cityscape painted on them by local artists.

Along one side of the room was a bar area where cocktails and beers were served to the locals. Towards the back was a large hatch which acted as a through-way for food that was homemade in the kitchen at the back of the building. In the far corner was a small stage where local musicians would perform every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday nights; and comedians would perform stand-up sets on Wednesday nights. And scattered within the belly of the room were rough-cut oak tables, currently set up for dinnertime service, which were lit by oversized lampshades that hung from the dark ceiling.

Beca bent down and scooped Alba up into her arms as the puppy's nose caught onto the scent of the homemade food that filtered around the building. One of the many good things about this place was that they allowed dogs. Alba was a big celebrity here, with each member of staff always making the time to stop what they were doing and coming over to Beca & Chloe's table whenever they visited to have a cuddle with the little white labrador who adored all the fuss.

"Evening Beca," Jason, the manager of Rubix, chimed as he approach them by the door, greeting Beca with half a hug before bringing his hands out and scratching Alba behind her floppy ears, " _and good evening Alba_!" he cooed. Before getting the puppy Beca found this type of behaviour highly unnecessary. She hadn't got it. She couldn't work out how people could become so mushy over a dog. But Alba wasn't just any dog. She was the cutest dog on the planet. Fact. And Beca prided herself on that fact every day.

Jason stepped away from Beca and the puppy, smiling at the other new arrivals, "Chloe, you're looking so well!" he complimented with half a hug for the redhead and his face lit up as he noticed the other two guests who had arrived with the couple, "And Mr and Mrs Beale! So good to see you again!" and the man stepped away from Chloe to shake the hands of both Jerry and Sue Beale.

Jerry was a huge hit with the staff at Rubix, partially due to his sense of humour, but mostly because of the generous tips he gave each member of staff, whether they had served him or not. He always claimed later to Beca that it was the least he could do because she always insisted on picking up the cheque at the end of the night. Sue was a hit too, her kind nature and patience going down well with the waiting staff, particularly when there was a wait on food. And in return the staff treated them like old friends whenever Beca & Chloe brought them to the establishment during their visits to NY.

"Your usual table is ready" Jason said as he motioned to the back of the room and Beca spied the table that she and Chloe had always sat at. The four adults made their way towards their table, weaving between occupied chairs along the way, many of the customers sat in them "aww"d at the sight of Alba who lay obediently in Beca's arms.

"I can't believe they remember us." Sue whispered to her husband as they all sat down and Jerry nodded, clearly impressed.

"Well you have to remember Chloe and Beca come here every week." He replied with a chuckle, noticing his daughter's brow furrow slightly.

"Er it's not  _every_  week." Chloe protested but Beca joined the Beale's in chuckling at the redhead's reaction.

"It's most weeks Chlo." The brunette admitted as she placed Alba on the floor between them and tied the little pink lead to her chair leg as the puppy licked her hand ferociously. They had come so far since the first time they had stepped into this bar. The evening they had first moved here three years ago. Into their little apartment that was only a couple of blocks away. Little had Beca known back then that the small crush she'd had on her best friend, that she secretly held deep deep down, would turn into something real and strong three years later. That she would be in a relationship with her. A happy relationship. And she would be  _so_  in love. More in love with her than Beca believed she could ever be with anyone. But Chloe had helped her believe.

" _I feel so underdressed." Beca mumbled awkwardly to Chloe as she pulled her hoodie further down her hips, trying to hide the ketchup stain she'd slopped onto the top of her jeans from the burger she'd been eating while she'd been driving them up from South Carolina earlier that day. She was shattered, hungry, thirsty, stressed. It had been a long day of travelling and she'd been reluctant to let her best friend drag her out of their shell of an apartment to find this joint that Chloe had read on TripAdvisor was 'the best hidden gem in Brooklyn'. But here they were and as Beca took a seat at the table in the corner of the room she heard Chloe let out a tired yet sweet giggle._

_"All of our belongings are packed in a gazillion boxes that are arriving tomorrow Beca. I'm sure the staff will understand."_

_And the brunette looked over at her best friend, unconvinced. Beca admitted to herself she'd loved the drive up here. Chloe had chucked together several Spotify playlists and had impressively sang pretty much the whole way there, in between asking Beca a hurricane of questions from what her first pet's name was ("Blackie the rat") to who would win in a fight between Taylor Swift and Katy Perry ("Katy Perry, hands down"). Beca had laughed a lot, and it had given her more hope that this move really was a good decision. And that the best part about that decision was allowing Chloe to join her in this new adventure. They'd survive it all together._

Two hours later, and the four adults'd had a good meal. Alba had even been given a small bowl with chicken, gravy and vegetables in it, from the kitchen staff, which the puppy had of course inhaled. Beca found herself grazing her thumbnail along the edge of the sticker of her beer bottle, picking at it slightly. This evening was going well, but a slight cloud of anxiety had pulled over her head. She smiled politely at her girlfriend who announced brightly to the table that she needed to go to the bathroom, and Beca grabbed the lead of their puppy as Alba darted to try to follow her Mommy out of the room and up the stairs to the bathrooms. Before Beca knew it she she was alone with Jerry and Sue Beale. This was it.

Beca exhaled loudly before looking up at Chloe's parents, "So…I'm really pleased you guys were able to make it up here." She swallowed loudly as both Sue and Jerry beamed at her.

"Well we're pleased you invited us." Jerry said and Beca felt her stomach knot. That was one of the things Chloe  _hadn't_  found out about. One of the things Beca had asked Sue not to tell her girlfriend. She didn't want Chloe finding out that she had specifically invited Mr & Mrs Beale up to Brooklyn to visit and go for dinner with their daughter and her. She had invited them because she needed to ask them something. Something that she couldn't ask over the phone, or via FaceTime, or by email. No it had to be asked in person. The thing was, though Beca knew that things would probably be okay the moment she asked them this question, she was still terrified it wouldn't be.

"Good. I'm glad. The thing is…the reason I asked you here…well I wanted to ask you something. And if you say no then that's cool, I totally get it."

Beca was too nervous to notice Sue and Jerry Beale glance at each other with knowing grins, turning back to watch in delight at how awkward their daughter's girlfriend was acting.

"I…you guys have been amazing to me over the past seven years that I've known your daughter and I can't thank you enough for how you've welcomed me into your home and your family. And you've been so cool about me and Chloe being in a relationship and stuff and…I just wouldn't want you to think that I'm taking your little girl away from you or anything but…I really love her,  _so_  much…so I was wondering if…maybe…I could ask her to marry me…maybe…if you were okay with that?"

And Beca felt as though time stopped, because this was probably one of the biggest moments of her life. It joined her telling Chloe how she felt about her, and her telling her father that she and Chloe were in a relationship together, as one of the most terrifying moments of her life.

To her surprise (and relief) Sue Beale let out an excitable squeak while Jerry Beale slammed his fist on the surface of the old oak table, both grinning from ear to ear.

"Of course we'd let you sweetheart!" Chloe's mother gushed enthusiastically.

"We couldn't think of anything better than having you marry our daughter." Jerry nodded in agreement, and Beca was sure she hadn't seen him smile so broadly before.

The brunette got to her feet as The Beale's stood up and the moment she felt the warm embrace of Mrs Beale she exhaled a deep heavy breath that she hadn't realised she'd been holding. She jumped as she felt Mr Beale join them and the three had a group hug. Beca felt this strange sense of belonging in the arms of the people she hoped would become her in-laws,  _if_  Chloe said yes. And as Sue and Jerry sat back down with wide smiles on their faces Beca felt her stomach flip.

"Everything okay Beca?" Jerry asked, a concerned expression wiping fleetingly over his face as he watched the brunette take a seat.

"Oh…yeah…it's just…what if she says no?"

Sue and Jerry Beale erupted into light laughter, finding their daughter's girlfriend endearing when uncertain.

"There is no way in heaven or earth that Chloe would  _ever_  say no to you Beca.  _Ever_. And especially not with this." Jerry said with a chuckle as his wife leant forward towards Beca with a soft smile.

"Jerry's right Beca, there has never been a time when Chloe has said no to you." And Beca paused at Sue's words. Because the mother was right, thinking back Beca realised that her girlfriend really  _hadn't_  ever said no to her. In fact the closest Chloe had ever got to saying no to Beca had been one of their first encounters seven years ago, when the redhead had barged into her shower cubicle entirely naked, and refused to leave until Beca sang for her. Beca had told her to "get out" and she'd literally said that she wouldn't leave until Beca sang.

"Chloe loves you more than anything Beca, and she'll love nothing more than to become your wife." Jerry said kindly, and Beca felt a smile grow on her face. She liked how that sounded. She liked the sound of Chloe being her wife. Of her being Chloe's wife.

"Do you know how you're going to propose?" Sue asked, leaning forward keenly, keeping her voice low. Beca bit her bottom lip. She'd been planning it for weeks now. Ever since Fat Amy had informed her that she would be the one to propose. Or rather, ever since Fat Amy'd informed The Bella's...

_Beca sat at the small table at the front of the coffee shop that Chloe worked at, her phone in her hand, sipping coffee from her takeaway cup as she grinned at the fuss Alba was getting from Fat Amy, who had been sat unconventionally on the floor with the puppy for twenty minutes now. Fat Amy had just been in the process of trying to find out who would be doing to proposing should Beca and Chloe decide to get married. Beca had internally cringed at the question and to her relief Chloe seemed awkward about it too. It was something that had crossed her mind, of course. But it wasn't something she and Chloe had discussed, and she wasn't sure that she wanted to have that discussion in front of their blonde Australian college mate._

_But they did end up having that conversation. And they ended up agreeing that Beca would propose to Chloe when the time felt right. Which had of course thrilled the Australian. Beca glanced down at her phone as it buzzed and the brunette almost choked on her coffee as she saw the message that flashed on her screen._

_**Fat Amy: Bloe are getting engaged!** _

_Beca looked up immediately and glared at her old college roommate, "Amy! What the hell?"_

_"Whaaat?" Amy said innocently, as Alba lapped away at her chin affectionately._

_"Not everything has to go in The Bella's Whatsapp group you know!" Beca said sharply, before daring to glance at Chloe who sat to her left. The redhead had a coffee in her hand, and was peering at her over the lip of the cup with an amused grin on her face. Her eyes flickered down to her phone on the surface of the little table they sat at as it vibrated. Several messages began appearing on the screen and Beca looked to her own phone as it started going wild._

_**Ashley: Oh my god!** _

_**Jessica: Oh my god!** _

_**Flo: Wahooooooo!** _

_**CR: Yeaaassss!** _

_**Emily: Eeeeek! How did it happen? Who proposed to who? Xxx** _

_Beca rolled her eyes and briefly glared at Fat Amy again who was staring at her own phone from around Alba's little face, a big grin on her face._

_**Staci: Ahhhhh!** _

_**Staci: CR I owe you twenty bucks! You said they'd do it this year.** _

_**Aubrey: What?! Why am I only just hearing about this?** _

_**Staci: Hearing about what? The engagement the money or the bet? X** _

_**Aubrey: I HAD meant the engagement.. x** _

_**Lily: congratulations** _

_**Ashley: So how did it happen?** _

_**Jessica: How did it happen?** _

_**Ashley: Haha literally just sent that!** _

_**Jessica: Oops sorry Ash, copying your question!** _

_**Jessica: Oh and you just pointed it out too. Haha!** _

_**Jessica: Mind-reader ;)** _

_**Ashley: Clearly I'm a mind-reader ;)** _

_**Ashley: Haha! As if you just said that too!** _

_Beca had to put a stop to this. She knew how obsessed The Bella's got._

_**Beca: Guys relax, Chloe and I aren't engaged.** _

_**Beca: Just Fat Amy taking everything out of context as usual.** _

_**Aubrey: No surprises there.** _

_Beca glanced briefly over at Chloe who was grinning at the screen of her phone still, clearly loving this new obsession by The Bella's._

_**CR: How can getting engaged be taken out of context?** _

_**Fat Amy: Beca you just said yourself that you'll be the one proposing to Chloe!** _

_Beca looked up from her phone and glared at Fat Amy again who simply raised her eyebrows at her and shrugged as though what she had just sent was perfectly innocent. But Beca knew it'd fuel The Bella's fire._

_**Flo: Eeeeeeeeeeeee!** _

_**Emily: Oh Em Aca-Geeeeeeeeee!** _

_**Emily: Xxx** _

_**Beca: STOP IT!** _

_**Fat Amy: It's true! Chloe tell her!** _

_Beca could see out of her periphery Chloe's fingers begin to type a response but pause every few letters or so as responses from the rest of The Bella's continued to pop up onto the screen._

_**Staci: I'm gonna go buy a hat** _

_**Aubrey: Why? X** _

_**Staci: For the wedding! X** _

_**Aubrey: Beca just said they weren't engaged x** _

_**Beca: THANK YOU Posen!** _

_**Staci: Yeah but Beca's GOING to propose, so there'll be a wedding at some point? X** _

_**Aubrey: Hmm I guess? X** _

_**Beca: POSEN!** _

_**Aubrey: Lol** _

_**Flo: How are you going to propose Beca?** _

_**Fat Amy: Mud wrestling?** _

_**Beca: NO!** _

_**Lily: Fight club. I know a place** _

_**Jessica: Romantic beach walk at sunset?** _

_**Emily: You could produce her a song? I'll write the lyrics! Xxx** _

_(Beca had to admit she didn't hate that idea from Emily, but Chloe was reading these suggestions. It wouldn't be a surprise any more if she produced her a song.)_

_**Ashley: A sunset beach walk maybe? So romantic!** _

_**Jessica: Haha! Again with the mind-reading Ash ;) x** _

_**Ashley: We're too awesome xx** _

_**CR: Oh my god FLASH MOB!** _

_**Beca: STOP** _

_**Fat Amy: YES!** _

_**Beca: NO!** _

_**Staci: After sex?** _

_**CR: What.. a flash mob?** _

_**Staci: NO! Beca should propose to Chloe after sex.** _

_**Aubrey: Ew x** _

_**Staci: Oh relaaax Posen it's just a word ;) x** _

_**Aubrey: Yes but it implies too much x** _

_**Beca: Guys I wasn't looking for suggestions!** _

_**Staci: So you ARE going to propose!** _

_Beca rolled her eyes and briefly threw her hands in the air, shaking her head slightly. There was nothing she could say that would stop this was there._

_**Flo: Ooooooooohhhhhhhhhhh!** _

_**Emily: I'm getting so giddy right now I can barely text xxxxxxxxxx** _

_**Staci: Chloe's going to be unbearably excited you know.** _

_**CR: She seems like the type to have her ideal engagement and wedding all planned out you know?** _

_**Ashley: Agreed** _

_**Jessica: Agreed** _

_**Jessica: Haha!** _

_**Ashley: Haha!** _

_**Jessica: Stop copying me ;)** _

_**Ashley: You love it ;)** _

_**Emily: Aubrey would know xxx** _

_**CR: True! Aubrey has Chloe got it all planned out?** _

_**Beca: Guuuuuys!** _

_**Staci: Chloe talked about it all through college until I graduated. She might have changed her mind since dating Beca though.** _

_Beca furrowed her brow as she read Staci's last message two or three times over, then looked up at Chloe who was also re-reading the text from her own phone, her brow also furrowed. How did Staci know about Chloe's wedding hopes? And through college? Until she graduated?_

_Suddenly Beca's eyes opened wide as she looked back down at the text. Aubrey had accidentally replied using Staci's phone! Here's hoping none of The Bella's noticed._

_**CR: ?** _

_**Staci: (*I'm sure that's what Aubrey told me once)** _

_Nice save Staci..._

_**Beca: Can we please stop?** _

_**Fat Amy: Yeah, Beca's getting nervous.** _

_**Jessica: Awwwww** _

_**Ashley: Awwwww** _

_**Lily: I've got something that can help with that** _

_**CR: Chill Becs, we all know she'll say yes.** _

_**Emily: She will! She loves you so much Beca! Xxx** _

_**Flo: Adores you!** _

_**Staci: Can I be Best-Woman?** _

_**CR: Gurl I think if any of us Bella's should be Best-Woman it should be me!** _

_**Lily: I'll sort the security** _

_**Fat Amy: Erm if ANYONE is Beca's Best-Woman it's me!** _

_**Fat Amy: College roommate** _

_**Fat Amy: Best friend** _

_**Fat Amy: Best looking** _

_**Flo: Oh can I be bridesmaid?** _

_**Emily: And me! Xxxxx** _

_**Fat Amy: Legacy, you'll be flower girl..** _

_**Fat Amy: Aubrey will be Chloe's chief bridesmaid of course..** _

_**Aubrey: Of course** _

_**CR: Did we ever get to the bottom of how you're going to propose Beca?** _

_Beca rolled her eyes again with a sigh. This was getting out of hand._

_**Beca: No** _

_**CR: …Flash mob?** _

_**Beca: NO!** _

_**CR: Come on it's a great suggestion! She'll never expect it!** _

_**Staci: If Beca does it right Chloe'll never expect any of these suggestions!** _

_**Chloe: Guys I'm actually IN this group chat you know xx** _

_**Staci: Oh yeah!** _

_**Staci: Shit.** _

_**Staci: Sorry Beca!** _

_Beca heard a giggle sound from her girlfriend's mouth but she didn't look up. She couldn't. She felt too embarrassed._

_**Chloe: As long as it's memorable I don't care how Beca proposes ;) xx** _

**_Flo: Oooooh so much opportunity!_ **

_Beca placed her phone on the table so she could put her head in her hands. She peered between her fingers when she heard Chloe let out a quiet "Nooooo!" and looked down at the latest text to The Bella's Whatsapp group._

_**Staci: Beca, we're making a separate group chat sans Chloe. Hang on!** _

_**Chloe: Nooooooooo!xx** _

_**Beca: Guys you know Chloe gets bad FOMO. Don't make a separate chat! I'll never hear the end of it.** _

_Beca looked up from her phone and saw Chloe quickly stare at her with a sad expression, clearly gutted that The Bella's might be messaging without her. But Beca shook her head and gave her a reassuring smile,_

_"I won't be telling any of The Bella's about any potential proposal. I promise" and these words were enough to relax her girlfriend's face into a soft smile. Beca felt her phone buzz again and she looked down at the device._

_***Staci added you to the group "ProCHLOsal"*** _

_Beca rolled her eyes, opening the group chat and typing feverishly, feeling Chloe's eyes on her as she did so._

_**Beca: Guys please stop. Yes I'll be proposing to Chloe AT SOME POINT but it won't be soon. Please don't get her hopes up. And please stop making suggestions. I know Chloe, and I think I know how she'd want me to propose. So let me do it with less pressure please.** _

_***Beca left the group*** _

Beca sat up straight as she saw Chloe appear at the bottom of the stairs. She took hold of her beer bottle again, picking slightly harder at the label, her mouth going dry as she cleared her throat to prompt Jerry and Sue to act cool. Which they did. Of course they did. Because they were far cooler than Beca ever was.

"Did I miss much?" Chloe said with an airy voice as she sat down at the table. She let out an adorable squeak as she noticed her puppy sat looking up at her, tail wagging affectionately, and Chloe leant down to waggle Alba's ears. The puppy licked the redhead's hand enthusiastically.

"Um here? No. Nope. No…you missed nothing. Absolutely nothing…" Beca said awkwardly, grimacing slightly as her sentence trailed off and she looked to Chloe's parents for help. Both Sue and Jerry were beaming at her until Chloe sat upright suddenly and turned to them. The moment that happened they cleared their throats and sat back before looking at each other with nonchalant shrugs.

"Nothing much" Sue said.

"Just talking about how stocks have gone down" Jerry nodded at Beca and the brunette nodded back. Good. Talking about finances and money and stocks around Chloe was the quickest way to remove her interest from any conversation. And remove it did! Chloe let out a sigh, rolling her eyes slightly before smiling. She reached out either side of her and gripped her father's arm and her girlfriend's arm.

"I'm so glad you both have each other to discuss boring stuff like that." She said sweetly. Sue and Jerry laughed out loud.

"We'll work out the money" Jerry said motioning towards Beca who now had a smile on her face.

"And we'll work out how to spend it!" Sue said to her daughter with a wink and the four adults laughed.

Beca reached her right hand under the table and placed it gently on Chloe's left thigh. This was a bold and unusual move for the brunette, particularly in the presence of her girlfriend's parents, but for the first time in several weeks Beca felt like a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. And it was all thanks to the couple sat opposite her. Chloe had reached down under the table with her left hand, entwining her fingers with Beca's on her thigh and squeezed her hand affectionately.

Sue & Jerry Beale's permission for Beca to ask Chloe to marry her represented so much more than permission. It meant they  _trusted_  her. That they not only trusted her to love and care for their daughter for the rest of her life, but that they  _believed_  in the strength of the women's relationship and how successful it will be in all the years to come. And this knowledge gave Beca a warm sense of reassurance that everything she had been painstakingly planning over the past few weeks would be alright.

Beca watched as Chloe turned to beam at her, giving her an affectionate wink and squeeze of the hand before turning back to look at her parents. Beca took a deep refreshing breath and smiled. Chloe was going to say yes. She just knew it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't begin to tell you how much I loved writing this chapter!
> 
> Right, next chapter's the big-un! The big deal. The chapter I've had planned for weeeeeeeks!
> 
> So don't forget to check out 'Kodaline's "The One (Acoustic)" on YouTube (if you haven't already) and all will be revealed in the next chapter!


	35. Epilogue XX - The One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe has an unexpected surprise...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you haven't already I recommend you watch/listen to The One (acoustic) by Kodaline on YouTube before/during/after reading this chapter :)

Chloe stepped out of the door of the apartment she shared with Beca, locking it behind her, letting out a long sigh while she shrugged her favourite denim jacket on. As she began making her way to the stairwell that would take her out of the apartment block she glanced at her watch.  _Flip_. She'd promised Beca she'd meet her at 9pm. It was now 8.55pm. There was no way she was going to be on time.

She would have been early had Alba not decided to wee on the welcome mat just as she was about to leave the apartment. It had taken her twenty minutes to treat the carpet with 'dog wee stain remover' – an action she and Beca had become pros at over the weeks they had had their Labrador puppy – and Chloe had reluctantly sent Alba to her crate, feeling like the bad-guy when the puppy looked up at her sadly from her position in the kitchen. Chloe had made sure she'd locked the baby-gate properly then dashed out of the apartment.

Chloe skipped down the final step and out into the mild late-September breeze that drifted lazily between the trees that clung to their brown leaves, anticipating the fall. The redhead glanced left to check she wasn't about to bump into anyone, then took an immediate right and made her way down the street. She hoped Beca wouldn't mind her arriving late. The chances were the brunette would merely grin at her, rolling her eyes as she patiently sat at their table in The Rubix Bar. But it still didn't make Chloe feel any less guilty for keeping her waiting.

The woman looked down the street and noticed ahead of her three men, chatting and laughing together. Her blue eyes immediately honed in on the acoustic guitar that one of them held and her heart skipped a beat. She always admired musicians who could play an instrument, and that was one of the things she loved about living in the neighbourhood that they did. It wasn't unusual for groups of friends to be jamming together with guitars as she walked past them when taking Alba for a walk in the evenings.

The pace she walked at meant that Chloe approached the men quite quickly and as she did one of the men counted "two three four" before singing while they walked:  _"Tell me, tell me that you want me and I'll be yours completely, for better or for worse."_

Chloe smiled slightly, admiring how good his voice was for someone who looked to be a complete nobody. _"I know, we'll have our disagreements, be fighting for no reason, I wouldn't change it for the world."_

If she hadn't been on the drag Chloe would've stopped to talk to the young men to find out if they had a record deal, and if they didn't then she would get them to contact Beca. Especially now the man with the guitar had begun lightly playing chords to accompany the man singing. She was a sucker for a guitar. " _Cos I knew, the first time that I met you, I was never gonna let you, let you slip away."_

Chloe began to overtake the men, one of which had stepped aside for her as he accompanied the lead singer in harmonising with some of the lyrics. " _And I still remember feeling nervous trying to find the words to get you here today."_

She glanced down at her phone that was in her hand. The bar was fortunately only five minutes down the road. She would probably make it only a couple of minutes late. Beca would understand. But suddenly Chloe slowed her pace almost to a stop as she heard the next line of the song that the men were singing. Lyrics that she recognised. " _Cos you make my heart feel like it's summer, when the rain is falling down."_

The redhead continued to slowly walk, but turned to look over her shoulder. Those were the words Beca had written for her on a small piece of paper and left for her in her bag when they had returned from their European Tour last summer. The small piece of paper that she'd put in her purse several months ago and looked at whenever she thought about Beca or missed her, because those words on that paper had been written specially for her by her girlfriend. The men matched her pace in walking, smiling at her as they continued to sing: " _You make my whole world feel so right when it's wrong. That's how I know you are the one. That's how I know you are the one."_

Chloe's heart jumped into her throat and she turned back to the street ahead of her. Suddenly a woman who had been sat on the steps that led up to an apartment block stood up with a violin, and began playing a short sweet melody that complimented the song the men behind her were singing. The redhead could feel tears beginning to prick her eyes. These musicians were becoming no accident and she had a feeling her girlfriend had something to do with this.

She turned the corner, the violinist and the three young men following her as she began walking at a reasonable pace again. Her heart began to race as she saw a vintage piano on the sidewalk, and a woman began playing it while the lead singer continued on to the next verse of his song: " _Life, it's easy to get scared of, but with you I am prepared for what is yet to come."_

Chloe walked past the pianist, and noticed two more violinists and a cellist sat on the steps of another apartment block further up, all of whom joined in on the song as the redhead and the men behind her walked past them: " _Cos our two hearts will make it easy, joining up the pieces, together making one."_

Chloe could feel her palms getting sweaty as the chorus chimed in again behind her, all the more powerful now there were strings accompanying it: " _Cos you make my heart feel like it's summer, when the rain is falling down."_

She began approaching the corner which she would need to turn right at to lead her up to the final part of her journey. " _You make my whole world feel so right when it's wrong, that's how I know you are the one. That's how I know you are the one."_

Chloe turned the corner and swallowed loudly as she saw another vintage piano up ahead on the left, with a pianist who began playing as the song continued. Up ahead on the right were more violinists and two cellists, who joined the pianist in playing: " _When we are together you make me feel like my mind is free and my dreams are reachable."_

Chloe recognised those lyrics too, and by this point a tear had fallen from her eyes as she made the steady walk along the alleyway towards the bar that stood at the end: " _And know I never ever believed in love but believed one day that you would come along."_ Chloe passed the pianist who was beaming at her: " _And free-eee me."_

She walked past the string musicians, and could hear the men behind her still following at her pace as they sang: " _Cos you make my heart feel like it's summer, when the rain is falling down._ " Chloe was now making her way up to the front of the bar. It didn't look open from the outside. " _And you make my whole world feel so right when it's wrong, that's how I know you are the one."_

She took a deep breath and reached out to open the door of the bar: " _That's how I know you are the one."_

Chloe pulled the door open: " _That's how I know you are the one."_

And stepped inside the building: " _That's how I know you are the one."_

Chloe heard the sound of a piano being played from inside the bar, having no recollection of there ever being one in the building before now. And as she walked through, she didn't recognise the bar. All of the tables but their own had been cleared out of the room, a piano stood on the stage in the corner, and everywhere was lit by fairy lights and a few lit lampshades. And there, stood in the middle of the empty room, was Beca. The woman was grinning nervously at her, biting her bottom lip. Chloe walked up to her tentatively, a curious smile on her face, tears rolling freely down her cheeks. She knew what this was all about, but she couldn't believe it until Beca confirmed it.

"What's all this?" she choked out in nervous anticipation as she came to a stop in front of her girlfriend.

"You wanted it to be memorable." Beca said simply with a shrug and a soft smile. Chloe watched as Beca pulled out a small box and the redhead was certain her heart was going to burst out of her chest it was racing so hard in excitement and surprise.

"Chloe, it's exactly seven years today - in fact probably seven years to the minute - that you barged into my shower at Barden and forced me to audition for the Bella's. And…well... if you'd told me seven years ago that that crazy, smiley, eager,  _beautiful_  red head would one day be the woman that I would fall in love with. Build a life with. Get a  _dog_  with." Chloe let a happy giggle slip from her mouth that was damp from the tears that had been falling down her cheeks. "Well I would've never believed you... But here we are."

Chloe let another happy giggle slip out and Beca continued, "And…its crazy because I know how different I've become over the years that I've known you…different for the better. You've made me a better person, but at the same time you've never expected me to change. And that's something I've always loved about you. You've always accepted me for who I am, and have opened me up into a better person. And…um…you just make me  _really_  happy. Happier than anything. So I guess what I'm trying to ask is…will you marry me?"

Chloe, fit to burst at how romantic this all was, blurted out a happy "yes!" beyond the tears that were falling from her eyes and threw her arms around Beca's neck. The brunette let out an "oof" at the motion, and a small thud sounded around the quiet room as the engagement box fell to the ground.

" _Shit_!" Beca cursed sharply under her breath, "Shit, shit,  _shiiit_!" and Chloe brought a hand to her mouth as she watched Beca panic, the petite woman scrambling around the floor, peering through the poor lighting for the little black box. Chloe, still in some level of shock about all that had happened over the past 5 minutes, remained stationary. She was engaged.  _They_  were  _engaged_! Beca Mitchell had asked her to marry her! They'd spoken about it earlier in the year, moments before Fat Amy had announced it in The Bella's Whatsapp group, but even though Beca had agreed she would be the one to propose, Chloe hadn't thought that her girlfriend would ever go through with it.

Beca was awkward about things like this, but boy had she pulled it out of the bag. This had been entirely unexpected. In fact, Chloe had been just as surprised that Beca had remembered the date that she had barged into her in the showers at Barden. Back when they'd been strangers. When they hadn't known each other's names or personalities or social situations or family backgrounds or hopes and dreams or ambitions or favourite  _anythings_.

But back then Chloe  _had_  known one thing. She'd known, from the moment she'd seen that slight soft tug of a smile that had appeared in the corner of Beca's mouth once they'd sung 'Titanium' together for the first time, that she'd begun to fall hard for the gruffy alt-girl. That fate had brought them together in the form of that short sweet duet in the most unconventional of locations. That she believed if she was patient and kind and supportive and persistent for long enough then they would spend the rest of their lives together.

Chloe heard Beca let out an exasperated exhale of breath as the brunette clasped her hands over something and stood up straight, turning back to her.

"Sorry" Chloe said sweetly with a slight giggle but Beca simply shook her head.

"I should know you well enough by now to know that you'd end up nudging this out of my hands." the brunette said sarcastically, a smile still on her face. Because seven years ago, in that shower, just before they sang, Chloe had been so animated with her hands while she spoke that she'd nudged a bottle of shower gel out of Beca's hands, much to the petite woman's horror.

"You wouldn't have me any other way" Chloe giggled with a wink.

"True. Weirdo." Beca said as she opened the small box and took Chloe's left hand so the redhead would hold it out between them. Chloe let out a small squeal as the brunette pulled the engagement ring out of the box, and placed it on her engagement finger.

Chloe had tried several of her own rings on that finger, imagining what it might be like to wear an engagement ring, but they had felt nothing like this. The platinum band felt soft and comfortable against her skin, the blue sapphire neither too big nor too small as it sat upon the band, surrounded by a small cluster of diamonds. Chloe couldn't tear her eyes from it as she held it closer to her face to inspect it, then hold it away at arms length, beaming brightly, loving the way it looked on her hand.

"Um…do you like it?" She heard her girlfriend ask nervously. No, her  _fiancée_!

"Beca I  _love_  it!" Chloe gushed as she turned to Beca, "It's perfect! And so,  _so_  beautiful!"

"Just like you then" Beca said uncharacteristically smoothly, grinning as Chloe brought her hand quickly to her eyes to show her brief embarrassment by the compliment before bringing both her hands down to her sides. Beca took her left hand, admiring her long slender fingers. Chloe had always hated her fingers. She always thought they looked like witches fingers, nobbly and gross. But for some reason Beca seemed to love them, and she told her that frequently, "I thought it looked good in the store but it looks a million times better on your finger."

"It must have cost you so much!" Chloe said, following Beca's glance down to her hand as the petite woman glossed her thumb lightly over the surface of the ring.

Beca merely shrugged with a soft smile, "It cost what it cost." Chloe knew her  _fiancée_  was good with money. She budgeted well so they could save hard, could afford nice things, and so Chloe could use her spare time to volunteer at the local theatre instead of having to get a second job. She also knew that if Beca bought something, it was the best, regardless of the price. And that was how she knew that this piece of jewellery was likely to be the most expensive gift she had ever been given, and possibly the most expensive gift she would ever be given. "As soon as I saw it I knew it was the one for you."

Chloe felt her heart skip a beat as she saw Beca look from the ring up to her eyes and the redhead suddenly realised she hadn't kissed her yet. So Chloe stepped closer to her  _fiancée_  and dipped her face towards the petite brunette, whispering " _It's perfect!_ " again, before closing the gap between them and kissing Beca hard on the lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay Beca!
> 
> I've had this chapter planned and mostly written since I mentioned about 20 chapters ago that I was going to do epilogues.
> 
> Literally all the epilogues before this chapter were made to lead to this moment so I really hope you enjoyed it (and understood it? I struggle to follow 'lyric fics' sometimes..)
> 
> As always gang, reviews and comments always appreciated.
> 
> I'm working hard to keep this fic going as I know as soon as I lose momentum I may slow down my writing and your reviews REALLY help spur me on so thank you!


	36. Epilogue XXI - Beca's Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Different moments throughout the day leading up to and after Beca proposes to Chloe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter clocks in at just under 10,000 words so I hope you're settled!  
> Also, this chapter creeps dangerously close to an 'M' rating (I think?) aaand there are several swear words towards the end.

Beca picked up her satchel and slung it over her head onto her shoulder, wincing slightly at the weight of it, having filled it with important paperwork yesterday.  _The_  paperwork. All the plans and documents that confirmed tonight's main event. She was going to propose to Chloe tonight.

Beca checked her phone to see the time. 7am. The car was picking her up from The Rubix at 8am to take her over to work. Time enough to meet Jason, the bar manager, and put the final touches to tonight's arrangements. "Chlo I'm now leaving," Beca said as she strode through to the bedroom at the back of their little apartment, nudging through the door and smiling softly as she saw her girlfriend sat up in their bed, filtering through Pinterest on her iPad. Alba lay sprawled on Chloe's lap, snoozing while the redhead traced her slender fingertips across the fur of the puppy's head.

Beca suddenly felt nervous as her girlfriend turned to look at her with a bright smile. That smile that made her melt whenever it was sent her way. That smile that had  _always_  made her melt, even if Beca had been annoyed with Chloe during their college years. She noticed the top of the hot water bottle poking from the top of the bedcovers that Chloe had covering the lower part of her body. For some reason Beca always felt guilty whenever her girlfriend came on her period. Chloe always laughed and called her ridiculous each time Beca apologised, but the brunette always felt she needed to, because for as long as Beca had been 'of that age' she had never had a regular cycle. She could go two, three, even four months without a period and feel like she had cheated at life in some way.

She admitted to herself that that was probably one of the reasons why she'd never envisioned herself having children. Back when she'd been straight and the societal expectation was that she'd meet a guy at college, settle down with him immediately after graduation, and she'd have several of his babies. Not so easy to fall pregnant if you don't know when your 'fertile window' is. She hated that she even knew the term 'fertile window' but she had Jesse to thank for that. He'd been pretty obsessed at one point, in their third year together, about what would happen one day when they'd start trying for children. But she needn't worry about that any more. Beca and Chloe had spoken about the reality of Beca's weird unpredictable cycle and Chloe had simply said that she would happily carry their children when they were ready to take that step.

"I'll see you tonight yeah?" Beca asked as she approached the bed, leaning over to place a chaste kiss on Chloe's lips while her girlfriend let out an "Mmhmm!" Alba shot up, tail wagging, scrambling to lick Beca's chin. Beca chuckled as she scratched the puppy's back, "And I'll see you tonight when Mommy and I get back from dinner!"

Beca wasn't due to start work until 10am today, but she wanted to give Chloe the impression that she had a super long and busy day ahead, which was why they were meeting at 9pm for dinner and why she was going into work on a Saturday. Not because The Rubix had agreed to only do an early dinner service this Saturday night for customers so they could close and set up the bar for Beca's planned proposal.

Beca turned to grab a long bag that hung on the curtain rail and had some clothes in it. Unbeknownst to Chloe these were the clothes Beca planned on wearing tonight, but she had told her girlfriend they were for an important client meeting that she needed to attend this afternoon. "Are you nervous?" She heard Chloe ask kindly and Beca paused as she pulled down the hanger that the clothes bag hung from.

"Um…" Yeah she was nervous.  _Really_  nervous. But not for the reason Chloe thought she was. "Yeah I am actually. This is a really big deal." Beca watched her girlfriend scoop their puppy off her lap and plop her down on Beca's side of the bed before crawling out from under the bedcovers and stepping up to her. Alba jumped down from the bed with a loud tumble and scampered up to her owners.

"I'm sure…" Chloe began as she brought her hands to Beca's hips, "you'll get the outcome you're looking for." And Beca found her heart racing far faster than necessary as Chloe also placed a chaste kiss on her lips, smiling brightly again as she brought her face back, "Anyone who says no to you is crazy, because you're aca-awesome!" And Beca grinned slightly as she watched her girlfriend step away from her, waving her hands as she spoke animatedly, "But then again, I'm pretty biased" the redhead said with a giggle and a wink, before letting a gentle squeak out as she almost tripped over their puppy.

"Are you doing much with your day today?" Beca asked casually as she grabbed a few hair grips from the dresser in the corner of the room and shoved them into her jacket pocket.

"Welllll Alba and I will probably pop down to the little theatre to see how rehearsals are going." The redhead said as she slid back into bed, returning the hot water bottle to her lower abdomen, and pulling the bedcovers back over her lower body. Alba let out a whine and a little yap as she looked up at Chloe, trying to assess if she could jump up onto the bed or not. Chloe let out a little giggle, reaching down to scoop their puppy back up onto the bed as she spoke, "then I think we'll just be pottering about doing some housework. I have to call Mom at three…"

Beca quickly looked from Alba to Chloe with a furrowed brow, her stomach knotting, "Wha- um…why do you need to call your Mom?" She could feel the heat rising to her cheeks. Sue Beale wouldn't call Chloe about their engagement would she? Beca hadn't told any of their friends or family that she was proposing to Chloe tonight.

"Because I haven't spoken to her in a week? She was away on that paper-cutting course in Atlanta remember?" Chloe said with a giggle. Beca remembered alright. Because as fate would have it Beca's stepmother, Sheila, had also been on that paper-cutting course. And not only that, the two women had been sat next to each other! It wasn't until the third day apparently that Sheila had plucked up the courage to ask Sue Beale if she was related to Chloe Beale and the rest was history. The two women had got on like a house on fire. Chloe had been delighted. Beca still didn't know how to feel about it.

"Right, yeah. Well say hi to her for me." Beca said as she began making her way out of the bedroom.

"Will do!" Chloe replied cheerfully, reaching for her cup of coffee that stood on the bedside table, pushing Alba gently away from her chest as the puppy tried to get to the liquid to sniff it, before glancing back at the bedroom door with raised eyebrows, "Um…aren't you forgetting something?"

Beca grinned as she paused outside the door she had just left the room through, and dashed back in. She placed a longer kiss on Chloe's lips, noting the taste of fresh coffee, and finishing it with another quick peck before leaning back slightly. "Much better" the redhead cooed with a warm smile and Beca felt her heart skip a beat. The next time she kissed Chloe she would hopefully be her fiancée.

The romantic moment was short-lived however, because the silence was cut by Alba who had managed to use this opportunity to investigate the cup of coffee that her Mommy held on her lap, and the puppy proceeded to lap noisily at the warm liquid within the ceramic vessel. The two women equally cried "Nooooo!" and laughed as they pushed the puppy away from Chloe and her cup of coffee.

"You'd better go to work or you'll be late." Chloe giggled as she placed the cup on the bedside table, "I'll see you tonight at 9?"

"Yeah good luck with the rest of your day now our puppy is hocked up on caffeine!" Beca chuckled and she wandered out of the bedroom towards the front door, hearing Chloe sweetly telling their puppy off.

"Love you!" she heard her girlfriend yelling out to her, as was Chloe's usual farewell whenever Beca went out to work. Her reason behind it was pretty morbid. She always stated that if something were to happen to her or Beca she would always want the last thing said to be "I love you".

"Love you too, weirdo!" Beca yelled back, grabbing her keys that lay by the door, and she left the apartment.

* * *

"How are you feeling?" Jason, the manager of The Rubix Bar, asked Beca as he pulled her into a brief hug as a form of greeting, before stepping apart.

"Yeah, alright. Nervous. But alright." Beca replied. They stood in the middle of the cavernous room, looking at their surroundings. There was clattering from the kitchen at the back of the building as the chefs unloaded an early morning delivery, and some of the bar staff were stocking up the fridges behind the bar. Beca knew all of them, her and Chloe being regulars at the establishment for three years now. Beca had no idea how they were possibly going to make this  _romantic_  in the hour the staff had between closing the doors to the public and Chloe turning up. But she trusted the team here at The Rubix, and she trusted Jason to coordinate it well.

"So we'll be clearing all the tables and chairs, except for your table." Jason explained as he motioned to Beca and Chloe's table in the corner, "and the band's piano is being delivered to us this afternoon. I've arranged for my brothers to help get it up onto the stage." Jason continued, motioning to the small stage that stood in the opposite corner of the room. Beca nodded but bit her bottom lip thoughtfully. She had no idea how they were possibly going to get a  _piano_  up there, but if Jason was in charge he'd find a way. The middle-aged man turned to her, hands on his hips, "Now, how do you want the room to be lit?"

"Uh…" Beca stuttered, looking around the room. She was rubbish at visuals. This was why Chloe had always been in charge of choreography back in their days at Barden. Why she had always been in charge of decorating the Bella house during holiday seasons. Why she had always been the instigator when it came to decorating their Brooklyn apartment. Beca gave her the money and Chloe bought what she thought was required. Beca trusted her judgement. Now Beca had to be the one making the decisions, and it kinda terrified her.

"Can I make a suggestion?" The man offered and Beca let out a sigh of relief.

"Yes please."

"Fairy lights. But not indoor ones, they won't show up well in here. Outdoor fairy lights. And maybe a few lampshades? It'll give this area a really nice homely feel. Romantic lighting. Nothing like these gaudy lamps we have over the tables here." Beca looked around as Jason motioned to the current lights and was a bit surprised by his comment. She'd always liked the lighting in here. But perhaps he was right, it wasn't exactly romantic. This was why she'd needed his help. Arranging the band had been tough, but not impossible. This, however, was out of her skill set. "I've no idea how many sets of fairy lights you'll need but it won't be just a couple. It'll cost quite a bit."

"I don't care how much it'll cost. So long as it looks romantic." Beca said, turning to the man beside her, "Would you mind getting them? I just have so much to do today."

"Of course! I wasn't expecting you to provide them Beca. Once breakfast service is in full swing I'm planning on popping out and sourcing the lights and picking up that wine you requested." Beca had asked Jason a few weeks ago when she had decided she would propose to Chloe here, if it was possible to get the rosé that she and Chloe had drank on their first date in London last year. Jason had come back to her several days later and announced her had found a wine dealer that had a box of six bottles that could be sent over to Brooklyn. Beca felt as though she was forever indebted to him.

"Thank you. Just email me an invoice or something and I'll pay you for them" Beca said and Jason nodded with a smile before returning his focus on the room.

"Marco is already downtown at the Flower District picking the gerberas up" he said and Beca couldn't help the "Wow. Early." that slipped out of her mouth. Marco, Jason's partner, was more excited about this proposal than anybody else. He had been feverishly emailing Beca with different ideas on how to dress The Rubix over the past week since finding out the proposal was happening, so much so that Beca had had to mute any emails that came through from him. "Got to get in there early, especially on a Saturday, or all the good flowers go." Jason informed her brightly.

"Right. Yeah, I guess so." And the two fell silent as they looked around the room. The reality of what this evening was going to entail was slowly dawning on Beca. She had the support of the team here at The Rubix Bar (and Jason's partner) with regards to the actual proposal and meal following. And she had the support of Kodaline, the band she had been coordinating with for a few weeks now. All she needed now was Chloe.

* * *

"Okay so, if you guys just hang here for a bit. She'll come down the steps over there," Beca said to the three men stood before her, one holding a guitar, and she motioned to her apartment block down the street behind them, "and walk this way. Then you just do everything exactly like we rehearsed it." And the men nodded.

It was a big risk they were taking. The band had been rehearsing in Ireland over the past few weeks. They'd arrived in NY a few days ago and Beca had hired the local community theatre near to her apartment to help them rehearse the timings of the music. Chloe had fortunately been at work yesterday so they had been able to do a walk-through of the entire route from their position here, round to The Rubix Bar. The only thing Beca had been worried about was the weather. If it rained, they wouldn't be able to use the two piano's she had hired to be played in the street. Fortunately it was a beautiful September evening, and the sun was beginning to set.

"Got your mics?" Beca asked and the men checked the small battery packs they hand clipped onto the front of their jeans. It had been decided in the week that the best way the other musicians knew when to join in at the correct time was to have three members of the band wear mics, "Great. Please don't forget to turn them on!" And the men chuckled, telling her they wouldn't and trying to reassure her with an "everything's going to be okay Beca".

Beca gave them a thumbs up and began walking down the street away from them, checking her phone as she did so. 8.30pm. If she knew her girlfriend well enough the redhead would be leaving in the next ten minutes, never liking to be late for anything. She paused at the violinist who sat at the bottom of the steps of another apartment block, checking that she had her earpiece in and switched on and the violinist checked before giving her a thumbs up.

Beca continued to make her way round to The Rubix Bar, checking with each musician as she passed them if they were okay and had their earpieces in and switched on. She finally arrived at the bar and stepped through the door. It wasn't the first time she'd seen the room since the team had set it up for the proposal, but it still took her breath away. The outdoor fairy lights were a good call, lighting up the cavernous room beautifully. The room looked so much bigger now that there only stood one table in it. Hers and Chloe's table. Beca fished in her pants pocket and pulled out the small black box, opening it up and checking the ring was still there. Her heart was racing. Chloe was going to love it. She hoped. It wasn't a diamond, it was a sapphire. Blue, the colour that suited the redhead so much. She hoped Chloe liked it. For what it was worth it was sat amongst small diamonds? So technically there were diamonds on this engagement ring.

She'd been faced by  _so many_  engagement rings when she went to pick one out for Chloe a couple of weeks ago. But after several failed days searching for the right one her eyes had fallen on this. And she'd immediately fallen in love with it. Never mind the cost (and it was the most expensive thing Beca had  _ever_  bought) because Chloe deserved the best. She snapped the box closed and took a deep nervous breath as Jason and Marco breezed up to her with broad smiles on their faces.

"Are you ready?" Marco asked eagerly, reaching out and taking hold of Beca's upper arms, holding her at arms length and inspecting her facial expression, as though expecting the brunette to burst into tears. But Beca just looked startled at the man's action so cleared her throat.

"Um, yeah…I guess?" Beca managed, as Jason nudged his partner and gave him a look as if to say "put the poor woman down" and Marco dropped his hands to his sides and smiled brightly.

"She's going to love it Beca." Jason said reassuringly, and took one last glance around the room before giving her a nod.

A chime rang around the room and Marco pulled his phone out of his pocket, gasping as he read the message that had been sent to him, "Oh my God this is it! She's just left the apartment!" Marco said excitably.

Marco had put his sister on 'Chloe watch' from about 5pm, a time and action that Beca had insisted was highly unnecessary, but the man had equally insisted that they should make the most of his sister living in the apartment next door to the hers and Chloe's. Jason took a deep intake of breath, gave Beca a wink and wished her luck before dragging his partner to the kitchen where the rest of The Rubix Bar team were situated. All that was left in the room was Beca and the pianist required to play the final part of the song on the piano in the corner of the room.

"You all good Beca?" the man asked politely with a smile.

"Yeah… You?" she replied with a deep breath and the man gave her a thumbs up. The room was so quiet that suddenly the noticeable sound of Kodaline's frontman Steve's voice could be heard through the pianist's ear-piece as he began to sing and Beca's heart began to ram hard against her chest. This was it. Four weeks of hard work, late nights, hard rehearsals, secrecy and coordination culminated in the next five minutes. All she needed now was for Chloe to say yes.

* * *

" _That's how I know you are the one._ " Beca heard the front door of the bar open, and she knew in an instant it was Chloe.

" _That's how I know you are the one_."

Beca's heart jumped into her throat as she saw Chloe slowly walk into the building, the piano playing delicately from the corner as the song finally came to a close. Beca was frozen to the spot, not that she'd ever intended on moving, and she bit her bottom lip with a grin as she saw Chloe approach her curiously. The sight of her girlfriend was made all the more intense and wonderful thanks to the low lighting from the fairy lights and lamps that lit the room. She could still see the redhead's bright blue eyes shining out at her from beyond the tears that were falling down her face. Chloe knew what this was about, she could tell, but it didn't surprise her when the woman asked quietly, "What's all this?"

Beca pulled herself together and released a small smile, shrugging slightly, "You wanted it to be memorable." She brought her hand to her pants pocket, wrapped her fingertips around the small black box, and pulled it out. Beca noticed the way Chloe's eyes widened as they latched onto the box and she wondered if she held her breath she might be able to hear her girlfriend's heart thudding against her chest, such was the rate that the redhead was breathing at. But Beca's own heart rate was speeding along and the petite woman had to take a deep breath to give herself the courage to say everything that she had rehearsed in her head, day after day, week after week, month after month, since deciding that she was going to propose.

"Chloe it's exactly seven years today – in fact probably seven years to the minute - that you barged into my shower at Barden and forced me to audition for the Bella's. And…well... if you'd told me seven years ago that that crazy, smiley, eager,  _beautiful_  red head would one day be the woman that I would fall in love with. Build a life with. Get a dog with."

Beca heard Chloe let a happy giggle slip from her mouth that was damp from the tears that had been falling down her cheeks and she thought that would've got a small laugh out of her girlfriend. Because it had always amused Chloe that at one point Beca had been adamant they were never getting a dog. Yet now Beca could imagine their life without Alba.

"Well I would've never believed you... But here we are. And…its crazy because I know how different I've become over the years that I've known you…different for the better." Beca had been desperate to tell Chloe this for years now, but she had never found the right opportunity without it sounding insincere. She was different. And not in an 'oh it's just growing up!' kind of way. She was more accepting of people, she was kinder, she asked questions to further a conversation with someone instead of just one-word answers, she  _actually_  sent birthday cards to people now (well…she signed the bottom of the birthday cards that Chloe sent out to people from them, but that still counted!) and it was all thanks to the woman stood before her. Chloe, whether she was aware of it or not, had made her a better person. And Beca felt she  _had_  to tell her that. Even if it was just this once.

"You've made me a better person, but at the same time you've never expected me to change. And that's something I've always loved about you. You've always accepted me for who I am, and have opened me up into a nicer person." Beca's heart was now racing so much that she was beginning to lose track of her words. Not even the eye contact that she clung to with the redhead could keep her nerves at bay. So she stumbled over her final few words, "And…um…you just make me really happy. Happier than anything. So I guess what I'm trying to ask is…"

This was it. Now or never. The one thing Beca of old had  _never_  expected to ask  _anyone_. And yet it was, truly, the  _only_  thing she wanted to ask the woman stood before her now. Her girlfriend. Her Chloe. "…will you marry me?"

And Beca didn't even have time to hold her breath before Chloe blubbed out a loud "yes" whilst throwing her arms around her neck. It was as though it happened in slow motion and Beca's heart went from racing fast to practically stopping in a matter of moments. Because her  _fiancée's_  enthusiasm and excitement had caused her to knock the small box out of Beca's hand and onto the floor. Beca had no idea where to look first and found herself cursing under her breath over and over as she scrambled on the floor to try to find it. Trust Chloe to knock something out of her hands. It was one of the redhead's most common actions, to knock something off something else, to drop something onto the floor, to nudge something out of Beca's hands.

Beca let out an exasperated exhale of breath as she clasped her hands over the little box that hadn't  _actually_  travelled too far. She stood up straight and turned back to Chloe who apologised with an embarrassed giggle but Beca shook her head gently, a bemused grin on her face. "I should know you well enough by now to know that you'd end up nudging this out of my hands.

"You wouldn't have me any other way" she heard Chloe say to her with a wink and Beca felt her heart melt. The look on Chloe's face was unlike any look she'd seen before and she adored it. Chloe honestly looked the happiest Beca had  _ever_  seen her.

"True. Weirdo." Beca replied with a smile as she opened the small box, took Chloe's left hand so it was held out between them, and placed the engagement ring on the redhead's finger. A perfect fit. And God did it look good on Chloe's finger! The thing was, it was easy for Beca to say that. She'd picked it out. She'd specifically gone ring shopping with the intention of finding something that  _Chloe_ would like, and it just so happened that Beca had found this one which  _she_  liked. She hoped that Chloe liked it. Please please please let Chloe like it!

"Um…do you like it?" Beca asked nervously, not sure in the dim lighting whether Chloe was pleased with the ring or whether she was just being polite. But her concern was short-lived as her  _fiancée_ turned to her and with a broad smile.

"Beca I love it! It's perfect! And so, so beautiful!" The redhead gushed.

And Beca couldn't help the next words that slipped out of her mouth, "Just like you then." If it had been even as soon as a year ago, Beca would have never had the courage to say something like that to anyone. But as she'd already said to Chloe, she was now different in some ways. Mushy things like this made her cringe both internally and externally unless it was for the benefit of her girlfriend – wait - her  _fiancée_. And right now Chloe had done that thing when she's embarrassed where she brings her hands to her face to cover her eyes briefly before flapping her hands down and either crosses her arms or keeps them down at her sides.

Beca took Chloe's left hand, admiring how beautiful it looked on the redhead's finger. She loved those fingers. They were so smooth and graceful and the ring sure did compliment Chloe's hand, "I thought it looked good in the store but it looks a million times better on your finger!"

"It must have cost you so much!"

It had. It had cost her a lot. But it was moments like this that Beca had saved hard for over the years. Not money specifically for an engagement ring, but money for the big things in life. So far those things equated to a puppy, and an engagement ring. But the next thing would be the wedding. And a house. Then probably children. Those things didn't come cheap and she was lucky that she had saved so hard over the past few years that those things also didn't seem too impossible. As always, she didn't tell Chloe how much she had in savings. It would all go towards their future anyway. And the rest of the money she earned went towards the payment of their bills, their apartment, and food. She insisted that Chloe simply used the small amount of money she earned at the coffee shop in the city to pay for her clothes, presents (because she knew how much Chloe loved buying people presents) and anything she wanted to do socially.

Beca shrugged, smiling softly as she glossed her finger over the surface of the ring, "It cost what it cost. As soon as I saw it I knew it was the one for you."

Beca looked up from the ring into her  _fiancée's_  beautiful blue eyes and her breath caught in her throat as the woman stepped closer to her, dipped her face towards her, and whispered " _Its perfect_!". Then the breath was taken out of Beca's lungs as Chloe brought her lips to hers and kissed her, hard.

A round of applause was heard from the kitchen and the women parted, Chloe letting out a giggle while Beca couldn't help the smile that grew on her face. The Rubix Bar staff all filtered out of the kitchen and began congratulating them one by one.

* * *

Beca waited for Chloe to draw her seat in at their table in the bar before taking a seat opposite her. The smile she had on her face hadn't disappeared from the moment she'd placed the engagement ring on Chloe's finger and Beca enjoyed hearing her fiancée gasp in admiration and excitement at the cluster of yellow gerberas that stood in the small vase on the old oak surface. Marco had done a great job picking out several bouquets that littered the room, but she was relieved he'd obeyed her order of keeping the flowers on this table exclusively gerberas – Chloe's favourite.

Beca watched as Chloe's bright blue eyes tracked their way down to a piece of light blue coloured card, 4 inches x 8 inches in size, laid delicately on the placemat. A soft smile was now present on Chloe's face as she reached down and gently took the card by its edges, holding it up to her face to inspect the detail.

This was another part of Beca's surprise. She'd had someone at work who did illustration in their spare time to design a small illustration that represented both Beca and Chloe, specifically to be printed onto this card. The illustration was of a yellow cup and a pair of headphones. Chloe's yellow cup. And Beca's headphones. Beca's only instruction had been to include those two things. Because a few weeks ago, when she and Chloe had been out walking Alba, Beca had asked the redhead what item she best associated with Beca and what item she best associated with herself. And the headphones and the plastic yellow cup had been Chloe's answer.

"Oh my God Beca…that's  _amazing_!"

"You like it?"

"Of  _course_  I do! How-?"

"Sophie, one of the women from another floor does illustration in her spare time. I asked her to do something with our two items on them."

Chloe looked like she was going to cry again, but Beca didn't worry. Sometimes it was good to cry. This evening was one of them. It was such a happy occasion. Beca's eyes were drawn to the engagement ring she had bought for Chloe, and couldn't get over how well it suited her  _fiancée's_  hand as it flipped the card over to reveal a carefully thought out menu for this evening's meal, written in calligraphy by one of the waiting staff here at The Rubix. Like, seriously how were people so talented? It was a menu that Beca had sat down a couple of weeks ago and planned with the chefs and Jason. It was all the things Chloe loved.

"Ooh we're having crab cakes to start?!"

"Yup"

"I didn't even know The Rubix  _did_  crab cakes!"

"They don't, but they've made some especially for tonight."

"And toasted pumpkin salad? Ugh I  _love_  pumpkin!"

"I know…"

"And lemon meringue pie for dessert?! Beca we're going to explode!"

Beca laughed a big hearty laugh at her  _fiancée's_  final thoughts on the menu. But she could tell from the way Chloe's eyes shone at her that she was impressed. And they wouldn't be stuffed. She'd specifically said to the chefs that whatever they classed as a 'normal portion' they needed to halve. Because both Chloe and Beca had relatively small appetites when it came to eating a full meal. They were more like grazers, eating little and often, than full-on gorgers.

One of the members of waiting staff, Georgie, approached them with a chilled bottle of rosé.  _The_  chilled bottle of rosé. She'd be impressed if Chloe identified this as the same rosé they'd drank on their first date last summer in London. Georgie showed them the label then poured some of the contents of the bottle into their glasses, placing the bottle in a wine cooler beside the table before scampering back to the kitchen.

Beca raised her glass to signify a toast which Chloe gladly mimicked, "Here's to the Beale-Mitchell wedding" Beca said with a grin.

"Or Mitchell-Beale." Chloe pointed out, always wanting things to be fair between them. "Or even just Mitchell."

"Or just Beale." Beca lightly clinked her glass against Chloe's with a wink and the two women took sips of their rosé. She didn't mind the idea of becoming a Beale. She loved that family so damn much that in all honesty it'd be an honour to take Chloe's name when they got married.

"Do you like the wine?" Beca asked after a moments silence and she saw Chloe nod with a gentle "mmm" of agreement. Beca lent forward and pulled the bottle out of the cooler beside them, "it's the same kind we had on our first date" she said, trying to hide how proud she was at managing to secure this tiny detail.

But it was tricky when Chloe's face opened up into the broad beaming smile of recognition as her eyes clasped onto the label, "Beca! You've thought of  _everything_!" And Beca felt a warm glow of happiness as her  _fiancée_  stood up from the table, stepped around the table, and planted a big kiss on her lips.

* * *

"Was Cynthia-Rose right when she said that you'd probably planned your perfect wedding in your head already?" Beca asked curiously as she and Chloe walked hand-in-hand down the alleyway away from The Rubix Bar and back to their apartment. As much as they would've loved to have stayed at the bar all night and drank with Kodaline, who had returned to the bar just before midnight to congratulate the newly engaged couple, the reality of leaving their puppy alone for more than three hours pulled the women out of the romantic moment and back to the main responsibility in their life.

"Um I guess so, yeah." Chloe said as she walked with a spring in her step, "In my head I envisioned wearing a massive princess-style white meringue dress, I'd arrive in a carriage drawn by six white horses, I'd have ten bridesmaids, a simple church wedding with 100 guests, the photographer would be an ex or current vogue photographer, Alba would be ring-bearer, the reception would be at a giant castle by the ocean, and the first dance would be ' _2 Become 1_ ' by the Spice Girls."

Beca swallowed loudly. That all sounded awful. And expensive. She hadn't thought money would've been too much of a problem but  _six_  horses? Was that really necessary?! She knew she'd told herself over and over that whatever Chloe wanted for this wedding Chloe could have, but she may have to draw the line at a horse-drawn carriage. And where the hell were they going to find a castle by the ocean?! "Wow, Cynthia-Rose wasn't lying then." Beca managed to choke out quietly.

"Cynthia-Rose's statement was that I'd  _probably_  planned it all out in my head already," Chloe said with a giggle, "and I had. When I was  _six_." And Beca turned to her  _fiancée_ , processing what the redhead was saying, "But of course back then I was obsessed with fairytales. I had no awareness of money. And the person I was going to marry was going to be my Prince Charming, the man of my dreams."

"Ah…" Beca said with a smirk, turning her attention to the street ahead of them that they'd just turned left onto.

"But dreams change." Chloe continued happily.

"And sometimes so does the gender of the person you'd envisioned marrying." Beca chimed in, causing Chloe to giggle again.

"True. You're a million times better!" The redhead said sweetly, leaning in to smack a kiss on Beca's cheek. They were both fairly tipsy. They'd shared a couple of bottles of wine and had been given a shot of Sambuca each on the house to have with the rest of the Rubix team, and the musicians in celebration of what had been a successful evening for all.

The two women continued down the street, hand-in-hand, grinning happily. "So how  _would_  you like to get married?" Beca asked curiously. She couldn't help it, she already had her finance-head on and desperately wanted to gauge how much money she was going to have to put aside for this big event. Maybe if she got this next promotion she was vying for they might be able to get married sooner rather than later?

"Um…I hadn't actually really thought about it." Chloe said simply and Beca raised her eyebrows as she looked over at her  _fiancée_  as if calling bullshit, which caused Chloe to let out another giggle, " _Whaaat?_  I  _haven't_!" and Beca was unconvinced, so she said nothing until the silence ate away at Chloe so much that the redhead had to answer honestly, "Okay  _fine_  I... _may_  have looked up where we could have our ceremony  _if_  we ever got engaged."

"Which now we are…" Beca said with a grin, loving how well she knew the redhead. She knew Chloe wouldn't have been able to resist thinking about their future, particularly since they'd spoken about who would propose to who. "…So what did you find?" She chuckled as she saw Chloe's smile open up into a huge grin, clearly excited about their conversation.

"Okay so there's this  _beautiful_  hotel in Hawaii-"

" _Hawaii_?!" Beca couldn't help exclaiming. She didn't mind where it was because she wasn't sure any of her family would want to attend anyway – such was their apparent lack in support of Beca choosing a woman as her life-partner instead of a man. But she'd expected Chloe to say The Beale Family Lakehouse, or Chloe's Mother's Family's old Holiday home in the Hamptons, or a location in New York, heck even her grandmother's beautiful looking house in Connecticut! But  _Hawaii_?!

"I know what you're thinking, it's miles away and probably expensive, but if you just saw a few pictures of it you'd see why it springs to my mind. It's  _beautiful_  Beca!"

Beca wasn't sure why her fiancée felt the need to try to explain herself and her reason behind choosing it. She was just surprised that was all. It didn't mean she was going to say no. Who knew, by the time the wedding came around she might have a few more contacts under her belt and be able to arrange some more surprises for the redhead. "Okay, well that sounds great Chlo."

"Really?" Chloe said nervously, almost as though she was apologising.

"Really! You can show me when we get home." The brunette said as they rounded the final corner and walked along the street they lived on. They wandered up the stairwell to their apartment.

"I was  _thinking_  we could do something else instead of looking at wedding venues when we get home..." Chloe said quietly, slightly breathlessly as they climbed the steps. Beca furrowed her brow. She recognised that tone of voice.

"Really?"

"Oh…unless you don't want to?" Chloe said quietly with a hint of surprise in her voice as they reached the top of the stairwell and made their way across to their apartment.

"No, it's just…I thought…aren't you  _on_?" Beca was pretty sure Chloe was. The tampon and maxi-pad wrappers piled in the bathroom bin were a dead giveaway. Chloe let out a soft giggle as she pulled her door key out of her back pocket.

"I thought you knew my cycle by now."

"Yeah I do. Three days on and one further day just to be sure." Beca said quietly with a nod as her fiancée unlocked the door.

"So what day do you make this?" Chloe asked in an amused tone as she shunted the door open and stepped inside the dark apartment. Beca followed and pushed the door closed behind them with her back, pausing against it as she thought.

"Um…daaay…four? Yeah, day four.  _Day four just to be sure._ " She said like a rhyme, something The Bella's had penned years ago when all of their cycles bar Beca's had synced, such was living in the same house during college. Despite the lack of light in the apartment Beca could still make out Chloe's silhouette as the redhead hung her jacket up on the coat peg, and she swallowed loudly when she watched the redhead slowly approach her.

"Uh-uh. Technically it's after midnight.  _Technically_  we're on day five." Chloe said in a low teasing voice and Beca jumped as she felt Chloe slip her arms around her waist, letting her hands trail down and squeeze Beca's ass affectionately. And Beca swallowed loudly. Her breathing began to increase, as did her heart rate. Day five meant they were in the clear. Suddenly she reached up and brought her arms around Chloe's neck, pulling the redhead's face to hers and kissed her  _hard_.

The sound of heavy breathing and loud smacking of lips echoed around the apartment as the women became entranced with the smell, taste and touch of one another. Desperate for more. Beca felt Chloe slide her hands down below her ass and the petite brunette knew what that meant, so was unsurprised when the redhead gripped tightly beneath her and pulled her up off her feet.

Beca instinctively wrapped her legs around Chloe's waist like a koala, letting out a short grunt as Chloe crashed her against the door. She heard what she thought was a mumbled apology from her fiancée between their mouths but Beca shook her head as if to dismiss the woman's words, pulling her back into a kiss. This was hot. She didn't care how bruised she got right now.

Beca traced her tongue across Chloe's bottom lip and, as though it were a secret password only she knew, her tongue was granted access into Chloe's mouth. Before Chloe, she'd always hated the idea of kissing with tongues. Probably because the only time she had made out with Jesse using tongues, all those years ago, the kiss had been so full of saliva Beca had almost choked. So they'd kept their kissing for the remainder of their relationship strictly tongue-free.

But Chloe had shown her the light. It had taken her by surprise that night in London when they had spent the few hours after their first date, laying side by side on their hotel bed, kissing lightly, then deeply, then lightly again, then broke for a chat about nothing in particular, then resumed kissing, then making out a little heavier. Over and over. Until they'd eventually fallen asleep in each other's arms. Using tongues while making out was now a regular occurrence with Chloe Beale. Part of the furniture. And still part of the spark that drove Beca crazy for the redhead.

She felt Chloe pull her face from hers and trail her tongue along her jawline and down to her neck. She smirked as she felt Chloe's teeth graze her skin, knowing just how desperately the redhead wanted to mark her, but was evidently holding back, just in case Beca had to go to work tomorrow. Even though tomorrow – well,  _today_  - was Sunday.

"We're not at work tomorrow" Beca aired huskily under her breath and she met Chloe's eyes, having adjusted to the darkness as the woman returned to face hers with a questioning expression, "I booked the day off for you at the coffee store weeks ago. I'm off too" she breathed impatiently and in one swift motion Chloe smiled mischievously, hiked Beca back up her waist a little, and brought her mouth to the base of Beca's neck. The brunette gasped as pain rippled from the patch of skin that Chloe sucked at, but she didn't stop her. She  _loved_  it.

Her mouth was almost immediately covered by her fiancée's once again and Beca tangled her fingers in her red hair as she pulled Chloe's face as hard against hers as possible, trying to deepen their already deep kiss. Beca pulled her left hand from Chloe's hair, gripping tighter with her right to try to maintain her position straddled around the woman, and hastily grabbed at Chloe's vest-top. With the fingers of her left hand Beca tugged the strap of the top and the strap of her bra down, her frustration increasing when the fabric didn't pull down as easily as she would've liked.

Beca let out a frustrated growl at the back of her throat which only appeared to fuel Chloe's passion, and she felt the redhead bring one hand up and cup Beca's cheek to firm their bruising kiss. Chloe hadn't been lying to Beca when she told her she'd been working out in the lounge during the evenings that the brunette 'worked late' (planning the proposal), and appeared to easily keep lifting the smaller woman with one arm, using the door as an aide in keeping them both upright.

Suddenly, amidst the heavy breathing, loud kissing, gentle thuds against the door and the ruffling of clothing, a loud piercing yap echoed around the apartment. The two women sighed out of their kiss as their puppy began whining and yapping from the kitchen.

"Remind me why I got us a dog again?" Beca grumbled, her forehead against Chloe's as they both stared at each other's swollen lips.

Chloe giggled at her fiancée's tone of voice, "Because you love me that's why" she said sweetly.

"Oh yeah… _that_." The brunette brought her lips back to Chloe's trying to ignore the responsibility they had to the little ball of fluff they'd got several weeks ago. But Alba kept yapping and Chloe broke their kiss, her maternal instinct far stronger than Beca's.

"We should really take her out for her final wee." The redhead whispered, disappointment evident in her voice and Beca shook her head slightly.

"The little rascal can wait, right?" She whispered, kissing Chloe again, then groaned slightly when the kiss was broken by the redhead who pulled away with a chuckle.

"Probably not. But you can." Chloe said with a bemused smile.

" _Fine_!" Beca conceded, exhaling heavily to try to calm the hormones that were racing around her body, while Chloe gently placed her back down on the floor. Beca moodily stepped past her fiancée, and shuffled through to the door of the kitchen, "What are you looking at?" she grumbled at the puppy who had begun wagging her tail feverishly the moment she saw Beca approach the locked baby-gate, clearly over the moon to see her. The thing Beca hated the most was how quickly she could forgive the little labrador with one look of those big eyes.

Beca heard Chloe walk past her with a light giggle and the brunette let out a sharp squeak as she felt her fiancée squeeze her ass before making her way to the lounge saying something about getting the poo-bags. Okay now Beca was  _really_  annoyed that the puppy had interrupted their 'moment'.

"Don't look at me like that," Beca grumbled at Alba who was still looking up at her, wagging her tail happily, "I'm still pissed at you."

* * *

"Come  _ooooon_!" Beca hissed impatiently at the puppy who insisted on trotting around the same patch of green grass that lay a block from their apartment. Not for the first time that night she heard Chloe giggle. Beca glared at her. If the redhead wasn't careful Beca would be kissing that smirk right off her face right here right now. Anything to resume the heated situation that they had got themselves into the moment they had arrived home. Beca could still feel the sting of the mark that Chloe had left on her neck. She would need to repay the action…

"Calm down, I'm not going anywhere tonight" Chloe said, amusement evident in her quiet tone as she watched the brunette. But Beca merely exhaled, practically hopping from foot to foot as Alba finally looked as though she'd found a spot to do her business.

"That doesn't make me any less desperate to rip your clothes off." Beca mumbled before whispering a " _yesssss_ " under her breath as Alba bobbed down to do a wee.

* * *

"Hey…" Beca paused at the sound of Chloe's voice just before stepping into their apartment and looked over her shoulder at her. She saw a flash of red and gasped as Chloe lunged towards her, kissing her firmly on the lips. Beca heard Chloe inhale loudly through her nose, a sound that always turned Beca on, and she suddenly wanted to just drop everything. But still she clung to the pink dog lead while Alba scrambled to get into the apartment and Beca felt like scrambling herself.

"I'll meet you in the bedroom?" Chloe asked rhetorically in a low voice, before stepping past Beca and Alba. She let out a flirty squeal as Beca managed to reach out and slap her ass before she got too far into their apartment. The brunette could barely breathe her heart was racing so fast and she fumbled to lock the front door before dashing over to the kitchen, unhooking the lead from Alba's collar and bidding the puppy a hasty "good night".

" _Shhhhit_!" Beca hissed under her breath as she tried to shut the baby-gate.  _Why_  wasn't this working?  _Why_  couldn't she  _close_  this  _fucking_   _gate_? "Come  _on_  you piece of… _aghhhhh_!" She grumbled loudly, slamming the gate in frustration, hoping that action would speed the process up. But it hadn't. "Piece of  _fucking_ … _shitty_ … _crap_!" she continued angrily, her heart now racing in frustration.

"Hey, woah…" Beca heard her fiancée dashing down the apartment to investigate what was going on, "…Beca hold on…wait… _woah_   _STOP_!" Beca paused as Chloe threw her hands on top of hers.

"The  _stupid_  baby-gate won't shut properly!" the brunette huffed, stepping back as Chloe let out a giggle.

"You just...need to be patient with it…" Chloe said, amused at how sexually frustrated her fiancée was acting, and she gently closed the gate, locking it securely, "…there!" she said finally, turning to Beca with a grin that had matched her amused tone.

Beca didn't wait for anything more to be said. She didn't wait for Chloe to suggest they clean their teeth. She didn't wait for Chloe to lead her to their bedroom at the back of their apartment. No, instead the petite woman threw herself against the redhead's body, reaching up to hold her face as she planted her lips on Chloe's mouth. The force with which she had collided with the woman had shoved Chloe back several paces until she crashed against the wall of their apartment but neither woman noticed, too hocked up on their passionate embrace.

Beca ran her hands from Chloe's face, down her shoulders, to the side of her body and down to her hips, resting them there and tugging forcefully so the redhead was pulled against her. The action caused Chloe to let out a short gasp which Beca soon muffled with her tongue and suddenly their kiss deepened. Chloe meanwhile had managed to undo the top four buttons of Beca's shirt and was attempting to undo the fifth when the brunette took her by the hands and tugged her away from the wall.

Lips still connected Beca began directing Chloe towards the back of their apartment, the redhead walking backwards as Beca encouraged with her hands on her hips. The brunette was grappling at the hem of Chloe's shirt as they moved and in one swift movement she had managed to pull the piece of clothing from her fiancée's body, discarding it on the floor as she resumed kissing her hungrily. The only thought in the back of Beca's mind at this moment wasn't a thought at all. It was song lyrics. The same song lyrics that repeated over and over at the end of the very song that reminded her so much of Chloe during these intimate moments:

_I want every other freckle. I want every other freckle. I want every other freckle. I want every other freckle. I want every other freckle. I want every other freckle. I want every other freckle. I want every other freckle…_


	37. Epilogue XXII - The Nightmare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Holy guacamole have I been a busy bee these past few weeks but I'm baaack! Thank you so much for your patience! (And the additional recent reviews!) I hope you enjoy this chapter :)

Chloe took a deep intake of breath as she stirred in her sleep. She wasn't ready to open her eyes and attempted to use this time to assess her surroundings based on the noises in the room and what she could feel against her body.

She was laying in bed that was for certain. In  _her_  bed, from the smell of the freshly washed bedcovers that she'd changed on her day off yesterday. She could feel soft skin against her cheek and the tip of her nose, her breath warm as it deflected back at her from whatever it was bouncing against. And the feel of the skin against her cheek along with the warmth of her own breath indicated to Chloe that she was curled up against Beca. Something that her left arm also confirmed as it rested around the woman's bare waist, their bare legs tangled in much the same position that they'd presumably fallen asleep in. Because neither Beca or Chloe were big fidgets when they slept.

The redhead felt at peace as she heard her girlfriend's heavy breathing. Girlfriend. No, Beca wasn't her girlfriend anymore. Beca was her  _fiancée_! And Chloe gently ran her thumb under her engagement finger, a smile growing on her face as she felt the warm platinum band sitting perfectly around her finger.

Last night had been so perfect. All of it. From the 'flash band' serenading her on her walk to The Rubix, to the words Beca said to her as she built up and eventually asked her to marry her, the perfect meal and the slow walk home discussing their future wedding, to the heavy make out session that had been unfortunately disrupted by their puppy. Then the mind-blowing sex that was possibly due to the emotions of the evening, probably due to both Beca and Chloe being thrilled that she was finally off her period, and highly likely to be down to the heated foreplay that had driven them both crazy in the lead up to Beca shoving a half-naked Chloe backwards into their bedroom.

Chloe opened her eyes bleerily, taking another sleepy intake of breath, and slipped her hand from around Beca's waist to rub her eyes gently. She had been right about her positioning against the petite brunette and delicately placed a kiss on the patch of skin that the tip of her nose had been resting upon, just above her  _fiancée's_  left breast. Beca didn't stir and it didn't surprise Chloe in the slightest. Not only was Beca a heavy sleeper, she was also not an early bird.

The redhead gently pulled her body away from her  _fiancée's_  and began sitting up, pausing briefly as Beca let out a sleepy mumble and simply turned over before sighing heavily in her sleep. Chloe stared down at the porcelain skin of the back of the woman she was going to marry. The woman she was going to spend the rest of her life with. Raise children with. Make a home with. Grow old with. The woman who was strong-willed, stubborn, sometimes rude and often frosty to many outside this apartment. But Chloe knew this woman for who she really was: stubborn at times yes, but also kind, and thoughtful, and affectionate (in her own way), and so  _so_  beautiful.

Chloe let out a happy sigh, holding back on her temptation to gloss her fingertips across Beca's back for fear that she would wake her, which she didn't want to do because Beca deserved to sleep for longer after the stress she must have gone through to plan yesterday evening's proposal. She looked at the clock on her bedside table and wasn't surprised to see it read 6am. This was the time she got up every morning to take Alba for her morning walk. Just because she probably only had a couple of hours sleep didn't mean she could shrug off her duty to the puppy, no matter how tired she felt.

The redhead silently slipped out of the large bed, tugging a pair of baggy loungewear pants on, and dragged one of her pyjama t-shirts over her head. Chloe let out a quiet yawn as she reached out for her dressing gown and wrapped it around her body, tying the rope around her waist. She shuffled around the bed, glancing with a soft smile over at her sleeping  _fiancée_  one last time before leaving the room.

* * *

_Beca stood on the cliff-top, looking out at a vast ocean. She looked over her shoulder and saw a giant Disney castle behind her, like the one you'd find at Disneyland. As she turned back to the ocean she saw that Chloe was stood beside her, smiling brightly at her. But Beca couldn't bring herself to smile. She was scared. Chloe took her hand and she felt a little better._

_"Are you ready?" Chloe asked, though when she said it, it appeared to echo around them as though they were stood in a cave, but they weren't, and Beca felt her brow furrowing. She found herself saying yes but she had no idea what she was saying yes to._

_Beca looked over her shoulder again and saw a bunch of white horses. She counted them. There were six. They must've been the horses Chloe had been talking about to her. The ones for her wedding._

_She turned back and looked down at her hand but saw that Chloe no longer held it. Instead it was being held by a small child, with bright red hair and big blue eyes. A little girl who looked up at her. Beca didn't have to ask, she just knew this was her daughter. Their daughter. And Beca thought she would panic but she didn't. Beca looked past the little girl to see her holding hands with a little boy who was a bit younger, with very similar features, and Beca just knew he was her son. Their son. Both were wearing dazzling Beale smiles as they beamed at her. And she immediately felt calm._

_Beca looked up from her children and saw their mother stood the other side of them, holding their young son's hand, and Beca found herself telling Chloe that she was ready. But she still didn't know what for. Beca looked over her shoulder again and two of the horses had turned into Jesse and Aubrey. She felt uncomfortable seeing them approach her with their broad smiles that seemed almost creepy._

_Before Beca could ask what they were doing her heart lurched as Jesse strode over to her daughter and shoved her off the cliff top. Immediately Aubrey did the same to her son. Chloe's bloodcurdling scream echoed around Beca as she watched the redhead run and throw herself off the cliff top to go after their children. And Beca found herself crying hard. Harder than she'd ever cried before. And then she ran and leapt off the cliff top, desperately searching below her for the expectant bodies of her wife and their children. But they weren't there. And as she fell the ground got closer and closer and closer until-_

Beca woke up with a jump. Her heart was racing as she quickly sat up in bed, head in her hands, furrowing her brow as she tried to collect her thoughts. What the fuck was that all about? She'd felt it. She'd really felt it. The heartbreak. The gut wrenching moment her children were thrown off that cliff. The look on Chloe's face had been indescribable, so distraught she had been. And that scream. She'd never heard anything like it. It had rippled into her ears and through her body. She'd had everything one moment, and the next it had been ripped from her. She hadn't even had a chance to savour them.

Beca let out a heavy sigh, scanning her empty bedroom and noticing the time. 9am. She normally had her puppy sharing this bed with her by now. In fact she normally had Chloe sat in here too – it being a Sunday. Beca felt her stomach knot, wondering if something bad had happened to them, but she quickly shook the idea from her head. It had been a dream Mitchell! Pull yourself together!

The brunette slinked out of bed, pulling her favourite over-sized barden tshirt off the floor and over her head so it hung midway down her thighs. She pulled the door of the bedroom open and walked out of the room.

The first thing that met Beca's senses, giving her immediate relief post-nightmare, was the sound of Chloe's voice trickling around the apartment as she sang along to a song she was listening to on Spotify. The second thing was the sound of something sizzling in a frying pan. The third was the deep warming smell of bacon wafting through to her. And suddenly Beca felt a wave of emotion overcome her as she approached the closed baby-gate and looked into the kitchen.

There she was. She thought she'd lost her forever, but it had just been a dream. No, a nightmare. Chloe stood with her back to her and Beca couldn't help the smile that grew on her face as her fiancée wiggled her hips to the beat of the song. Alba, having noticed the brunette's arrival, scampered to the doorway to greet Beca, wagging her tail feverishly. This action had drawn the attention of Chloe, who looked over her shoulder at Beca with a broad smile, "Good morning!" her voice rang out brightly before resuming her focus on the bacon she was frying. Beca released a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding and unlocked the baby gate with ease. Funny how easy it was to work the contraption when she wasn't sexually frustrated…

Alba scrambled around the petite woman's feet, but Beca didn't stoop to greet her. Instead she approached Chloe, paused as the redhead hummed along to the song, then wrapped her arms around her waist from behind with a sigh. It was an action that was unusual for her, and Beca felt Chloe freeze in surprise while the brunette rested her cheek against her back. Beca closed her eyes momentarily, relieved that whatever had happened in her nightmare had been just that – a nightmare. Chloe wasn't dead. She hadn't left her alone. She still had time to savour their moments together.

Chloe being the more affectionate of the two didn't take long to melt, and before long she had brought her left hand to her waist, smoothing it across Beca's knitted hands as she giggled, "Wow, I could really get used to this side of Beca Mitchell." the redhead turning in Beca's arms, and wrapping her arms around the petite brunette, smoothing her hands up and down her back, "More affectionate now she's my fiancée, what the hell is she going to be like when she's my wife?"

If it had been any other time Beca probably would have chuckled, rolling her eyes and calling Chloe a weirdo. But the scream she had heard in her nightmare still rang in her ears and the brunette felt numb thinking about how Chloe's facial expression had been before flinging herself off that cliff. So Beca clung a little tighter, a small affectionate smile on her face, looking into those bright blue eyes of her fiancée as Chloe's smile slowly dropped, noticing Beca's odd behaviour,

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," Beca quietly began, smoothing her hands across the small of Chloe's back, "I just…I'm feeling a bit off this morning…" she wasn't going to burden Chloe with her nightmare. She knew what the woman was like. She'd analyse it. Like really analyse it. And Beca was terrified that she would read it as a sign that Beca would be unable to protect her and their future children. That maybe they shouldn't get married and spend the rest of their lives together. Fortunately Chloe didn't push for information. That had always been the way the redhead had been around Beca, and it was probably the main reason that Beca had become such fast friends with Chloe in the first place. Chloe understood the importance of patience when it came to caring for Beca.

"Well I'm not surprised. You haven't had your morning coffee!" Chloe said with a loving smile. Beca knew Chloe could tell something was up, but the redhead had learnt over the years not to push any form of conversation with Beca until she had had at least one cup of morning coffee.

"I'll make it" Beca said with a shrug, but Chloe had already peeled her arms from around her small body, diving into the cupboard to grab the Nespresso pods. The brunette folded her arms over her stomach and leant against the worksurface of their little kitchen as she watched her fiancée compile the ingredients for her coffee, in Beca's favourite mug. A mug that Chloe had bought her not long after they'd first moved up to Brooklyn together. It was the perfect size for her small hands, but enough of a size that she could get a good cup of coffee out of it in the mornings before work.

Beca let out a little yelp as she felt a tickle between two of her toes and she jumped, looking down at Alba who had licked her foot and was now looking up at her, her little tail wagging. Beca let out a small smile, and bent down to scoop the puppy up. Alba was getting big, and Beca feared that there'd soon be a moment when she wouldn't be able to carry their dog anymore. So she made the most of it now, as Alba scrambled to lick Beca's chin.

The brunette grimaced, trying to bring a hand out to stop the puppy, but Alba simply began feverishly licking her hand instead, "Alright alright, I know, Mama's tasty…" Beca muttered, rolling her eyes, "Alright. Alba  _stop_!" and the puppy froze, tongue stuck to the palm of Beca's right hand, clearly processing the order her owner had strictly given her. Then the puppy brought her tongue back and let out a sigh, settling in her owner's arms as Beca rocked her slightly, "Good girl." Beca mumbled.

The brunette looked up and did a double take as she saw Chloe beaming at her. The redhead had clearly found the scene between her fiancée and their puppy amusing.

"What?" Beca asked curiously as Chloe leant over to the cooker to flip their bacon that was still sizzling away.

"You're gonna be a great Mom one day." Chloe said with a sweet giggle, before returning to put the final touches to Beca's coffee.

Beca felt her stomach knot as the images from her nightmare came flooding back into her memory. She wouldn't. She'd make a terrible mother. If she couldn't protect their children in a dream how the hell was she going to protect them in real life?

"Hey…" Beca jumped at the sound of her fiancee's soft voice, and saw Chloe holding out her mug of coffee at her, that concerned look on her face again, "Are you worried about telling your Dad about our engagement?" The redhead asked tentatively, knowing it was a little risky mentioning Mr Mitchell so soon after Beca waking up.

Beca stooped down and placed their puppy on the floor with a tired sigh. She hadn't been worried until now. And she was never in much of a mood to talk about her father at the best of times, least of all in the morning. But this seemed to be as best an excuse as any to not tell Chloe about her nightmare, which was the real thing on her mind.

So she took the mug of coffee from her fiancée, "Yeah. He's gonna hate it." She said grimly, taking a long inhale of the scent of her coffee and enjoying the warm comfort it blanketed her body in.

"Does he…hate me? Is that why?" Chloe asked nervously, her focus seemingly on the bacon she was now picking out of the frying pan in front of her and placing on a plate. Beca swallowed loudly. Because she didn't actually know. It was difficult to imagine anyone hating Chloe - she was the nicest person on the planet. But her father hadn't exactly embraced the idea that she and Chloe were in a relationship. Even when he'd visited in the Spring, which had been the last time Beca had seen him, he had still seemed to be in some sort of denial.

_Beca and Chloe looked at each other, swallowing noticeably, the apartment falling silent following the knock at their front door. 10am. Bang on time, as expected._

_"Do I come with you to the door or stay here or…?" Chloe asked nervously and Beca shrugged. She had no idea how her Dad was going to be around them. The last time she'd seen him was on Christmas Eve, when they'd had an argument because Beca had revealed that she and Chloe were more than just housemates._

_Would it seem too full-on if Chloe greeted him at the door too? Or would it be better if she just remained in the kitchen where they were stood now, poised by the kettle?_

_There was another knock at the door, this time firmer, and Beca knew that her father was probably getting a little impatient. He'd had a long drive up to NY yesterday. She was pleased Sheila had informed her that they would be staying at a motel just outside the city instead of the spare room at Beca Chloe's. Not that Beca had offered. She was happy to see her Dad, of course she was, but only if he behaved. Only if he treated Chloe fairly._

_"I'll stay here. Put the kettle on or something." Chloe decided out loud, placing a kiss on Beca's cheek before pushing her gently on the small of her back so that the petite woman began walking out of the kitchen._

_Beca took a deep breath as she approached the front door of the apartment nervously. She heard her father talking to his wife, her step-Mom. Something about Beca probably not even being awake. She heard Sheila say something about how Beca probably was awake and was most likely just trying to find the key to unlock the front door. For the very first time in her memory, Beca suddenly felt an affinity for her step-mother. She'd never heard the woman stick up for her before. Beca reached out and pulled open the apartment door._

_Her father stood up straight, a polite smile on his face, "Beca. Good to see you."_

_"Hi Dad. Sheila." The young woman said politely, standing to the side to let them over the threshold. And the moment they were in the apartment Beca's Dad reached out and gave his daughter an awkward hug. Beca stiffened in his arms, bringing her hands around to pat him briefly on the back, then the two Mitchell's parted. Beca had never hugged Sheila before, and she didn't plan on starting now. So, as always, she raised her eyebrows, pursing her lips as she threw her an awkward smile. Shelia responded with a polite nod and grin. She was clearly thrilled to be here and Beca wasn't sure why. She'd never seemed excited to see Beca before._

_"So, this is your apartment?" Mr Mitchell asked in a rhetoric tone as he placed his hands on his hips and looked around the tiny entrance area._

_"Yeah," Beca stuffed her hands into the back pockets of her jeans, "um…coat hooks and a shoe rack…" her sentence trailed off. This was awkward, but she was used to awkward. This was often how she and her father communicated. "And um…through here a bit…" she led them a few paces from the door into the lounge which was the largest space in the apartment, which wasn't much, "is the lounge."_

_Beca had her back to the kitchen door on purpose. She didn't want to rush the introductions of her girlfriend and Dad Step-mom. Unbeknownst to her though, Shelia had already caught sight of Chloe, who had been stood nervously by the kettle in the kitchen fiddling with her thumb ring, and had beamed at the redhead, mouthing a cheery "Hello!" along with an enthusiastic yet subtle wave. It had put Chloe at far more ease. Which was a good job really because Beca had then turned on the spot, taken a deep breath, and motioned to the kitchen._

_"And here's the kitchen…" she began walking through the doorway and into the small room, her father and Sheila following. She stopped beside Chloe, "…Dad, you know Chloe."_

_Her Dad did know Chloe. He'd met her several times when she'd been at college. But those days that he'd met her she'd been Beca's friend. Her co-captain of The Barden Bella's. Not the woman his daughter was now in a romantic relationship with. And the tension in the kitchen was excruciating._

_"Yes," Mr Mitchell cleared his throat nervously, " hello Chloe."_

_"Hello Mr Mitchell." Chloe replied sheepishly, a nervous smile on her face as she held a hand out and the two shook hands briefly. Beca held her breath, her father bringing his hands back to his hips as her girlfriend resumed twiddling her thumb ring._

_After a moment's pause, Sheila stepped forward, holding her hand out with a kind smile, "And I'm Sheila."_

_"Hello Sheila" Chloe said with a slightly more relaxed tone and smile. Beca exhaled quietly. If she didn't know any better she'd think that Sheila was on their side. Maybe her step-monster was?_

_"So lovely to finally meet you Chloe." The woman said in a genuine tone and suddenly the tension seemed a little less heightened._

_There was another brief pause before Chloe broke the dead air, "Would anyone like a cup of tea?" She croaked out nervously and The Mitchell's nodded._

_"Um yes, good idea…" Beca heard her father say in a slightly irritated voice and Beca could feel her aggravation growing. He was being polite, yes, but she could sense an undertone that she didn't like one bit._

_"Why don't Chloe and I make the teas, and Beca you show your father around the rest of the apartment?" Shelia suggested, looking to Chloe for her nod of approval, then turning to look at her husband and step-daughter. Beca didn't say anything and just shrugged, before turning on the spot and beginning to walk out of the kitchen._

_"Shouldn't take long" Beca heard her father mutter and she closed her eyes briefly, taking a deep breath whilst continuing through to the back of the apartment. He wouldn't get on her nerves today, she wanted to make sure of it. It wouldn't be fair on Chloe if she did. And to be honest it wouldn't be fair on Sheila either, who was actually turning out to be alright._

_"So the bathroom is here on the left." Beca watched as her father poked his head into the little room, peering up at the ceiling then down to the floor, then bringing his head out with a little light 'Huh' of approval._

_"Here is bedroom one." Beca motioned to her and Chloe's spare room. The one that had originally been her room when they'd first moved here. When they hadn't been more than friends. When they'd had separate rooms. Her father stepped into this room, just a few paces, and peered around. She knew what he was looking for. He was assessing whether his daughter and Chloe really were in a relationship like she'd revealed to him just before Christmas. Because if they weren't, then this bedroom would belong to one of the women. But it wasn't lived in, that much was obvious._

_Beca was relieved Chloe had spent the past two days feverishly tidying the apartment while she'd been at work. Their spare room no longer had scruffy cardboard boxes littering the corners of the room, and all belongings that had been in those boxes were now in large plastic boxes that Chloe had bought from a store several blocks from their apartment. Having those boxes stacked to the right immediately made the room look neater. There was a long mirror on one wall, beside a long clothes rail, which was full of Chloe and Beca's clothes. This was, after all, the room they dubbed their 'walk-in-wardrobe'._

_The large double bed to the left lay neatly made and untouched. There were no lamps around the room. No books or magazines or knik-knaks on any surfaces. No sign in the slightest that this was used as a bedroom. And Beca could tell by her father's expression that he recognised this._

_"Good space." Mr Mitchell said as he cleared his throat again with a curt nod, and stepped out of the room. Beca led him to the room next door._

_"And bedroom two." She announced, stepping into the room this time, her father following. He paused, his hands still on his hips as he looked around. This really was all the confirmation he needed. Because this was so obviously Beca Chloe's shared bedroom._

_The double bed was made but also had several neat matching cushions on it, completed by two white cushions, one with a black letter 'B' on it and one with a black letter 'C' on it, indicating which side of the bed was who's. The bedside tables on either side of the double bed had a lamp on each. Chloe's had a couple of novel's beside her lamp, Beca's had her iPad and her favourite headphones._

_A chest of draws lay opposite the bed, and on it's surface were several photo frames that Chloe had sought a couple of days ago, and in those frames were photos of Beca and Chloe together during college, during their European Tour, and one even as recent as a selfie Chloe had taken of them at The Rubix bar last week. On the wall was a large framed photo of Chloe, Beca the rest of The Bella's, including Barden Bella's alumni, during their final performance at the World's a few years ago. It was the photo they both agreed was their favourite group-performance photo._

_Beca loved their bedroom, and she had no shame in letting her father see it. "Right…another good room." Was all the man seemed to muster, before walking out with a sigh. Beca furrowed her brow briefly, then realised that was probably as good a reaction as she could've hoped for, so slowly followed him back to the main body of the apartment._

_Beca let her father take a seat on their small sofa, before she sat on the floor on the other side of the small coffee table opposite him. She could hear Chloe chatting animatedly to Shelia in the kitchen, the two women having not taken long to become acquainted. This was one of the many things Beca loved about her girlfriend. Chloe found a way of striking up a conversation with anyone no matter whether she knew them or not._

_"So…things seem to be going…well?" Beca heard her father say to her awkwardly, clearing his throat, and Beca shrugged._

_"Yeah, really well thanks. I'm…I'm really happy Dad."_

_"Right…good…it's…it's good that you're happy."_

_The lounge fell silent again and Sheila's voice could be heard coming from the kitchen while the sound of teaspoons stirring tea echoed, "You mean you hold dance classes for twenty children?!"_

_"Yep" Chloe replied brightly._

_"And they're only eight years old?"_

_"Well they're a range of ages. The youngest are six, the eldest are ten, but most of them are eight." Chloe said informatively. It's at this moment Beca would've smiled. She loved how passionate Chloe got when she spoke about the volunteering work she did over at the local theatre a couple of blocks from their apartment. But right now Beca was glancing at her Dad, who was busy fiddling with one of the button holes on his jacket. He looked highly unimpressed, Beca was sure of it._

_"Well you're a braver woman than I am, Chloe. Children terrify me at the best of times, I couldn't imagine having to try to engage with twenty of them!" Sheila complimented with a chuckle._

_Beca looked to the kitchen door to see Chloe carrying a tray with four mugs over to them. Sheila took a seat beside her husband, and Chloe gave Beca a look as if to say "everything okay?". Beca merely responded with a forced smile. They knew each other well enough to read each other's minds when it came to an uncomfortable situation. Luckily for Beca, Chloe was able to read her body language well, and as such the redhead must've known that Beca was hating this._

_Chloe placed the mugs on the coffee table in front of their respective owners, then sat on the floor beside Beca. The room fell silent again, as the adults smiled politely at one another. Fortunately Sheila was the first to break the ice again, turning to her husband as she said, "Cal, Chloe's just been telling me about the position she has volunteering at the local theatre group."_

_"Volunteering huh?" Cal Mitchell said seriously, looking at Chloe as the redhead reached out to take Beca's favourite mug and hand it to his daughter._

_"Yeah, um, the kids in the local area come together every couple of days to learn to dance and I teach them." Chloe said nervously, a kind smile on her face. But Beca was watching her father like a hawk. She knew that tone of voice he'd used. He was on the verge of saying something that she would blow up over._

_"So you don't actually get paid for it?"_

_Beca noticed out of the corner of her eye Chloe glance at her, wondering if this was a trick question. But Beca had begun glaring at her father. The man, however, remained his attention on the redhead, his eyebrows raised, waiting for an answer._

_"Well, no…I don't. No." Chloe said in a quiet voice._

_"Hence the word 'volunteer' Dad." Beca said coolly, "She gives her free time up to help teach underprivilaged kids who want to learn to dance."_

_"Oh, no I understand what the word 'volunteer' means Beca. I just don't understand how she can afford to live here with you if her 'job' is as an unpaid volunteer." Cal Mitchell said, leaning forward and taking hold of his mug of tea, looking at the two women opposite him._

_"Oh that's not my only job Mr Mitchell." Chloe piped up, but Beca could sense from her girlfriend's tone that she also knew what Beca's father was insinuating._

_"I see. So you're a high-flying banker maybe? Or the manager of a downtown boutique?" Cal said sarcastically. Beca began pulling her hands into fists, her blood beginning to boil. He was doing this on purpose._

_"Um, no, actually. I'm…I serve coffee at a store downtown." Chloe said quietly, and Beca hated how embarrassed her girlfriend had sounded. Because serving coffee was hard work. Dealing with customers was hard work. Working all the hours that she did there on top of the hours she volunteered at the little theatre group was hard work. But Beca's Dad didn't seem to understand that._

_"So you're just a waitress?"_

_"Right that's it," Beca snapped as soon as she noticed her father smirk, "Dad if you've got something to say about me and my girlfriend just come right out and say it!"_

_"Okay," Cal said, his voice growing louder to try to match his daughter's, "I want to know if your 'girlfriend'," ugh, he was back to using quotation gestures whenever he said that word, "is actually only with you because of your money."_

_"What?!" Beca cried out, her voice echoing around the apartment. She didn't notice Shelia have the exact same reaction, seemingly shocked at her husband's accusation._

_"Mr Mitchell, I assure you, I've been in love with your daughter far longer than-"_

_"You're not in love with my daughter." Cal Mitchell scoffed, "An infatuation, sure. You both got close being the only two moving up here from Barden. But the natural step for you both to take isn't for you to become 'life partners' or whatever the hell they call it nowadays."_

_"Would lesbian's be an easier label?" Beca asked sarcastically. Angrily. She knew it'd hit a nerve with her father and she saw him shuffle uncomfortably on the sofa. Good. She wanted him to feel uncomfortable after what he was insinuating. "Chloe is_ _ not _ _with me for my money. And it is_ _ none _ _of your business how we sort our finances. We are grown adults, living in the real world, with real jobs, and a real life, and we want to spend that real life together."_

_"Oh, so you're just going to live here? In this tiny apartment? Busting a gut to pay for her lifestyle while she holds you back?" Cal Mitchell motioned to Chloe who was tearing up. She didn't like confrontation. And she really didn't like it when people didn't like her. But Beca was fuming._

_"What do you mean holds me back?" The petite brunette asked incredulously. The two other women in the room had no choice but to sit back and watch the car crash unfurl._

_"Oh come on Beca! You and I both know you could've been far more ahead in your career if you hadn't been distracted by her. You could be in LA by now with…"_

_"Let me guess, I could be in LA by now with Jesse." Beca snapped. Why did her father insist on clinging to her ex-boyfriend like he had been so perfect for her? "Dad you have got to let the Jesse thing go! He and I broke up a long time ago now. Chloe may not have a high-flying job but she loves the work that she does and she's good at it! And she supports me. Maybe not financially but she sure as hell supports me emotionally. Far better than you ever have!" And as the room fell silent, something suddenly occurred to Beca. Her Dad was jealous._

_Beca followed her father's gaze down to her lap and realised that the reason why she'd stopped arguing was because Chloe had brought a hand to hers and held it. Chloe knew her. Chloe loved her. And Beca loved Chloe._

_"Right," Sheila said with a lighter tone, clearly wanting to clear the atmosphere, "we brought some cake! We brought cake so…um…Chloe would you care to show me where you keep the plates?"_

"I don't think he hates you Chlo. I think he hates that I don't fit in his box, you know?" Beca said as reassuringly as possible.

"Mmm" Chloe said in confirmation, as she complied two large bacon baguettes. One for Beca, one for Chloe. And Beca smiled softly as she watched her fiancée squeeze a huge portion of tomato sauce onto the side of Beca's plate. Because Beca loved tomato sauce, and Chloe knew that. Just like Chloe knew how nervous Beca must be feeling about revealing their engagement to Mr Mitchell.

"Um…why don't we call your folks first? Then we can dull the day by calling my Dad, then brighten it again by called Aubrey maybe?" Beca never thought she'd ever consider 'calling Aubrey' a way of brightening a day, but anything was likely to be a pick-me-up after the inevitably awful conversation they'd be having with her father. At least Aubrey was okay with the idea of the two of them being together.

"Oh I've already spoken to Aubrey!" Chloe said with a bright smile, holding both plates as she tried to guide their puppy out of the way with her foot, Alba far too excited by the smell of bacon to behave.

"You have?!" Beca asked as she followed Chloe, carrying two mugs of coffee, also trying to nudge Alba out of the way when the puppy gave up trying to beg the redhead for food and went to her other owner's feet.

"She's been asking me almost every morning for about month now if you'd proposed," Chloe said as she settled down on their small sofa, and Beca placed the mugs of coffee on the little coffee table and settled in the space beside her, taking the plate of food that her fiancée handed her way. "You know I don't like to lie about things so I just simply said yes."

Beca chuckled, batting their puppy away gently with her foot as she brought her baguette to her mouth. Because she knew that Chloe could never lie. And she could only imagine what it must've been like for the redhead once Aubrey had texted her early this morning. "And let me guess…" Beca said, grinning with her mouth full, "she called you straight away?"

"She called me straight away! I'm surprised you couldn't hear her from my phone in the kitchen." Chloe said with a giggle tucking into her own baguette and delicately bringing her foot up to keep Alba from jumping up onto the sofa. The lounge fell silent as the two women tucked into their bacon baguettes, laughing every so often at their puppy, who looked up at them with big pleading eyes.

" _Don't_!" Beca said sharply, as she spied Chloe casually twiddling a piece of bacon around between her fingers, trying to gently break it away from the large slab that was in her baguette. The redhead looked at her, raising her eyebrows innocently.

"What?" Chloe asked, but a cheeky smile had crept onto her face despite her innocent expression.

"You know exactly what Chloe Beale, do  _not_  give that dog any bacon!"

"But, she looks so saaad!" Chloe whined, looking down at their puppy, and Beca followed her gaze with a big grin. Because Alba was now staring up at them even harder, knowing just how close she was to finally getting a piece of bacon.

"You know full well the moment we start giving her food from this sofa she won't ever leave us alone again." Beca said strictly, though a smile still remained on her face.

"Just one tiny piece?"

"No."

" _Pleeeeeease_?" Chloe begged, sticking her bottom lip out. And Beca melted. She both hated and loved it when Chloe looked at her like that. Hated it because Chloe would get her way. Loved it because Chloe's eyes shone ten times brighter than normal, if that was even possible. She also loved how giddy Chloe would get when she caved.

So Beca caved. "Go on" she said, rolling her eyes, and Chloe squeaked a "Yesss!" before plucking the piece of bacon out of her baguette and facing their puppy, "but if she starts scrounging when we next eat on here I'm blaming you!" Beca finished. But she could tell Chloe was ignoring her, because the redhead was now trying to get their puppy to sit.

"Alba!" Beca said in a strict tone and the puppy turned to look at her, " _Sit_!" and Alba immediately sat. So she may not be the cuddly owner, she may not be deemed as 'the alpha', but she was certainly seen as the respected owner. Alba so often listened to her orders, and she figured it was down to her tone of voice.

Beca smiled as she watched Chloe let out a giggle, cooing at their puppy as she handed her the piece of bacon with a sweet "Good  _girl_!"

She had a feeling their spoilt dog was soon going to become even more trouble…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again guys! As always, reviews are forever appreciated :)


	38. Epilogue XXIII - The Announcement pt.1 - The Beale's

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beca & Chloe tell Chloe's parents about their engagement.

Chloe sat patiently on the little sofa in her and Beca's apartment lounge, dressed in her favourite pair of jeans and an oversized hoody that Beca had once bought her in college several years ago at a festival they and the rest of The Bella's had attended. Rested on her left thigh was her iPad, primed ready to FaceTime her parents. On her right thigh was Alba. Or more specifically Alba's head, with the rest of her little body spread out across the remainder of the small sofa.

Chloe smiled as she looked down at her snoozing puppy and stroked her velvety ears affectionately.  _How_  was her life like a fairytale? Well,  _her_  fairytale. The life she'd dreamt of and hoped for all through college. A life with Beca. They lived together, they had a dog, they both had jobs that they loved, and now they were  _engaged_!

Chloe looked from Alba over to her left hand and stared once again at her engagement ring with a smile. Blue was never what she would've gone for. But it was perfect.

"You have no idea how relieved I am that you like that ring." Chloe looked up from her ring and beamed at her fiancée as the woman smiled and slowly walked over to the sofa, now showered and dressed, ready for the hectic remainder of the morning that would involve calling their respective parents to tell them their news. Then, of course, there was The Bella's Whatsapp to contend with..

"I adore this ring!" Chloe exclaimed, holding her left hand out in front of her face so she could inspect it further. Because she  _did_  adore it. And it still felt unusual against her skin, on her hand, but it felt right.

Alba brought her head up from Chloe's lap and looked at her other owner, giving a sleepy tail-wag in recognition, before slumping back onto the thigh she was snoozing on. But Beca had other plans, and scooped the puppy up with a small groan.

"Ugh Alba you're getting so heavy!" Beca winced as she turned them on the spot and took a seat where the white labrador had been laid out, plopping the dog on her lap. Alba scrambled a bit to get onto Chloe's lap instead and the brunette let out a heavy exhale of frustration as she looked down at her appearance and saw her once pristine black hoodie now covered in white dog hair.  _Why_  did she pick a white puppy for Chloe? Most of her wardrobe was black, dark grey, or navy…

Chloe tugged her puppy onto her lap to help Alba get settled, which in no time she did, curling up on Chloe's lap, her head resting on Chloe's stomach. The redhead heard her fiancée huff beside her and she knew that was because Alba would have undoubtedly left a mound of dog hair on the woman's black clothes. Sure enough, when Chloe turned to look at Beca, she saw her looking down at her black hoodie in dismay and it took all of Chloe's self-control not to giggle. Because their puppy was the main thing they bickered about. And laughed about. Alba was the thing that made their apartment feel like a home. This bundle of fluff that was entirely their responsibility. Who was like a child to them.

Chloe gave Beca a sympathetic smile, which elicited an unimpressed "hmm" from the petite woman, but Chloe knew Beca would forgive Alba in an instant. Because as Chloe had said a million times before, it wasn't their puppy's fault she molted, and it was Beca's choice to wear dark clothes.

"Right, are we ready?" Chloe said brightly as Beca unzipped her black hoodie, pulling it from around her to reveal a bright blue top. And Chloe couldn't believe how perfectly this outfit represented her fiancée's personality. To strangers, colleagues, and even some of their relatives, Beca was dark, serious, grumpy and brooding on the outside. But when she revealed a side of her personality to those she trusted, Beca was actually generous and funny – and towards Chloe she was also sweet, affectionate and thoughtful.

"Let's do this Beale." Beca said with a competitive tone, as though they were about to go on stage for a Bella's performance, wrapping an arm around Chloe's lower back. And Chloe leant into Beca as she took hold of her iPad, held it up, and began the FaceTime call to her parents.

Within seconds the call connected and the ever beaming face of Sue Beale shone from the screen. "Hello sweethearts!" Sue greeted cheerily and Chloe felt her heart race with excitement. She couldn't wait to tell her mother the news. But she'd wanted to tell her and her father together. And as though she'd read her daughter's mind, Sue called out past the iPad she had propped up in front of her, "Jerry! Chloe and Beca are on the iPad!" Both Chloe and Beca chuckled as they heard Jerry drop something off screen, in the next room, and dash through to the kitchen where Sue sat.

"Hello you two!" Jerry said brightly, slightly breathless, smiling into the iPad and Chloe beamed with excitement. They were going to freak when she told them. Alba's floppy ears pricked up at the sound of Jerry's voice and the Beale's chuckled, "Ah, sorry, hello you  _three_!" Jerry added, and Alba cocked her head in confusion, staring at the screen, which caused everyone to laugh.

"So there was a reason we called…" Chloe said before instinctively reached out to grab Alba's collar with her left hand, to stop the puppy from leaping at the iPad, and she heard her mother gasp as the parents spied the engagement ring on their daughter's finger.

"Oh  _Chloe_!" Sue Beale exclaimed at her daughter and Chloe held her left hand up, eliciting a small squeal.

"I know! Beca popped the question last night and I said yes!" The redhead looked adoringly at the woman beside her and Beca gave her an affectionate wink as she grinned at her, clearly just as pleased to be telling The Beale's the news.

"Well of course you did! We had no doubt that you would Twinkle." Jerry said heartily and Chloe turned back to the screen, her face widening as she processed what her father had said.

"You knew Beca was going to propose last night?"

"Well we knew Beca was going to propose sweetheart, we just didn't know when." Sue said affectionately and Chloe turned back to her fiancée.

"You asked their permission?" She asked softly.

"Of course I did. I wasn't just gonna swoop in and marry you without their permission." Beca said, rolling her eyes, and Chloe giggled slightly, nudging her affectionately with her elbow, before resuming her attention on the screen.

"So…we're getting  _married_!" Chloe announced to her parents in a sing-song voice. She was over the moon that her parents had already known of Beca's plan to propose, and even more thrilled that the woman had asked their permission. This was what she loved about being in a relationship with Beca, she so often tried to do things the 'right way'. The traditional way. Even though their partnership wasn't deemed 'traditional' to many. Her Grandmother would definitely be one of them. Chloe wondered briefly whether her mother had mentioned anything to her Grandmother about Chloe being in a relationship with another woman…

"Well Twinkle, your brother's will be really pleased to hear your news." Jerry said to his daughter.

"Oh yes," agreed Sue, "so will the girls! Laura, Claudia, and Julia have been on 'ring-watch' for weeks!" The woman said clasping her hands together excitably, then her smile quickly dropped and she held them out towards the screen, "Not that we told them you were going to propose Beca." She quickly added, and Chloe noticed on the screen in the tiny box that had the live image of her and Beca in it that Beca's smile had waivered, "No, they just love you and love the two of you together and figured the next step after getting a puppy was a proposal."

_Chloe let out a small squeal as her young nephews blew bubbles out at her from the bubble bath the two of them shared. There was a system in the Beale household, whether they were here at the Beale Family Lake House, or all together at Sue Jerry's large family home, the kids started in the bath, then went into the shower, then to whichever bedroom they were sharing. Like a conveyor belt. It had been that way since Chloe and her brothers had been kids too._

_Originally it had been the order to bathe the youngest child first, then stick them in the shower, then get them ready for bed while the next child in age went in the bath and so on. But by the time Chloe Beale had arrived into the world and started walking, the little girl had been such a wriggler, such a mischief maker, such a handful, that it became a far better idea to leave the young redhead until last, that way she had little opportunity to get filthy again. So now the order went older children to younger children: Eva, then Hunter, then Noah and Sammy, then Jack and Oliver._

_"Right you two. Through to Grandma so she can wash your hair!" Chloe said firmly to them with a kind smile and the little boys whined._

_"Awwwww" Oliver called out, looking sadly down at the piles of bubbles in his lap._

_"No awwwww's. Come on." Chloe said with a giggle, pulling him up from under his arms and out of the now-cool bath. She wrapped him expertly in a towel and guided him towards the door where he was required to scurry through to the small shower room next door. She could hear her mother giving the little boy instructions as the shower began whirring._

_"Auntie Chloe do I HAVE to get out of the bath yet?" Jack asked, his big blue eyes staring up at her sadly._

_"Fraid so sweetheart." Julia answered from behind her young sister-in-law, and this was enough of an answer for Jack as he began clambering out of the bath tub, covered in bubbles. Chloe helped him with a giggle, wrapping him in a towel just as Sue Beale called out from her position by the shower in the other room._

_"Jaaaack? Are you ready sweetheart?"_

_And the little boy scurried through to the other room with a grin to meet his grandmother, "I'm reeeeeeadyyyyy!" he said in a loud sing-song voice._

_Chloe pulled the plug with a tired yet content sigh. The first mass-bath time was always a challenge whenever her family were reunited for the beginning of a break together. She was, however, somewhat concerned that she'd left Beca alone downstairs for a bit too long. With her brothers. Having only just introduced them earlier that day._

_It had been a shock to her when they'd immediately known that she and Beca had begun dating. No more shocked than when they'd shown her that Instagram Live video of her announcing it while she'd been drunk on the final night of the European tour with The Barden Bellas a few days ago. But today hadn't been a heinous embarrassment for either of the young women, and to her relief, her family seemed to like Beca._

_Chloe let out a little yawn, smiling at her sisters-in-law, all three of whom were stood in the doorway. Laura and Claudia had been in charge of getting the kids dressed into their pyjamas and drinking their nighttime milks, which indicated to Chloe that Jack was probably the final child to get ready for bed. Then he'll be joining his brother and cousins for story time, which Chloe always traditionally read to them. Chloe noticed her three sisters in law looking at her with beaming wide smiles._

_"What?" Chloe asked curiously as she curled the wet towels up and placed them in the linen basket beside the three women. She stepped back but they remained silent, still grinning, so Chloe let out a giggle, "Come on, what?"_

_"We love Beca!" Laura burst, and the women either side of her nodded enthusiastically in agreement._

_"We do, we really do!" Claudia agreed._

_"We all do!" Julia said, "Even the boys" and Chloe beamed. Because she loved Beca too._

_"She's so sweet and calm and polite and funny and so SO good for you Chlo!" Laura gushed, waving her hands excitably which made Chloe feel slightly giddy. Because these were the aspects of Beca that Chloe saw and knew and loved. It thrilled her that her family could recognise those qualities in her girlfriend too and so early on. Perhaps it was because she was a far cry from any of the previous boys she'd brought home before._

_"We've been saying all day how we've never seen you this happy before!" Julia said_

_"And we've known you a long time." Claudia added, because she'd known Chloe some eighteen years._

_"Not as long as me," Sue Beale said with a smile as she joined the women of her family, "and I would have to agree with them sweetheart. You really haven't looked as happy as you do now when you're with Beca."_

_And Chloe heaved a huge deep breath, hardly able to believe that all the happiness and contentment she felt was so obvious in her facial expressions._

_"I can honestly see you two spending the rest of your lives together!" Laura dared to exclaim excitably. And although Chloe brought her hands to her cheeks in embarrassment, she had to agree with her youngest sister in law. She could see herself spending the rest of her life with Beca too._

"Actually I think it was Laura who said that a puppy was practically a proposal!" Jerry said with a chuckle.

* * *

An hour later and Chloe had described in great detail exactly how the proposal happened, turning to Beca every so often to give her the opportunity to add to their story. But Beca had declined, being perfectly happy to sit and listen to Chloe describe exactly how it had been for her. How it had felt. And Beca was so relieved that it really had been the perfect proposal for her fiancée.

"So what are you two going to be up to now?" Jerry asked, "Anything nice?" and he received a gentle swipe from his wife, "Ow. Why was that the wrong question?" He asked raising his eyebrows innocently.

Beca found herself trying to hide her grin as she watched her in-laws-to-be have an exchange of looks. If only her parents had 'bickered' this way when she'd been growing up, maybe she wouldn't have turned out to be as messed up as she was. Though Chloe always insisted she wasn't messed up. Beca adjusted the angle that she held her head at, as she held it in her left hand, her left arm leant on the back of the small sofa behind Chloe. Her right hand was absently playing with one of Alba's velvety ears as the puppy snoozed on Chloe's lap.

" _Jerry_!" Sue hissed, with a warning expression, "You cant go asking them what they'll be doing with their day!" she said under her breath.

"Why not? You always ask our kids that question towards the end of any FaceTime!" Jerry replied in a low voice, unable to work out where he'd gone wrong.

" _Because_  remember what we did the day we got engaged?" Sue gave Jerry a pointed look.

"DO I…" The man said in a flirtatious tone, grinning and giving his wife a wink. "Bobby stayed guard outside the front of the house, reading his newspaper, just in case Mom and Dad got home early." He recalled with a chuckle, but then his expression fell as he saw his wife looking at him with her eyebrows raised as if to say 'do you not see where I'm going with this?'

Beca had felt her stomach drop as Jerry had spoken, and she'd pulled her arm from the back of the sofa, trying to distance herself a tiny bit from Chloe as her fiancée whispered in disbelief "Uncle Bobby?". Because she had a feeling that what Sue, and in a moment Jerry, figured they'd be doing with the rest of their day would be to have sex…

"Oh.  _Oh_! No, don't…" Jerry seemed to get rather uncomfortable as he turned back to his daughter on the screen, "I don't need to know what you're doing with the rest of your day. You don't…we don't need to know."

Beca cleared her throat uncomfortably at the same time as Jerry, while Sue Beale simply rolled her eyes. Chloe, however, felt a need to clear the air, much to Beca's horror, "Oh…no we're not…we won't be doing that today. No. We…um…well Beca has to call her Dad?"

Beca winced slightly as she caught her fiancée's eye, Chloe giving her a brief apologetic smile. The brunette took a deep breath and turned back to the screen, "Yeah, I have to call my Dad. Lord knows how  _that's_  gonna go."

"He's still in denial huh?" Jerry asked calmly, Beca's upcoming reality becoming a sobering thought for all The Beale's. Jerry Beale didn't like Cal Mitchell. Not that he'd ever met the man. Not that Beca ever spoke about him much. But when Beca had turned up on their doorstep on Christmas Eve that had been the icing on the cake for Jerry. He despised how unsupportive the man was of his daughter and her decisions. And both Jerry and Sue Beale could see how Beca may have turned out the way she had when they'd first met her. Awkward, quiet, moody, distant. They'd been proud of their own daughter for fighting for the love she'd had for the petite woman throughout college. For standing her ground. For being so patient, even if it had made her miserable at times. Because it had all paid off. Seven long years, but it was worth it. Chloe had got her girl and her parents had been supportive throughout.

"Well he hasn't spoken to me since the Spring so what does that tell you?" Beca said in a deadpan voice to show how unimpressed she was with her father.

"You still get emails from Sheila though, right?" Sue Beale asked kindly, leaning slightly closer to the screen.

"Uh…yeah." Beca said, trying not to sound too surprised that Chloe's mother had mentioned her step-mother. It was no secret that since a serendipitous meeting on a course a couple of weeks back the two women had been in contact with one another quite regularly. Beca could only imagine Sue kept Sheila up to date with her and Chloe's life, Chloe calling her parents at least once a week to update them herself. And Beca still didn't know what to make of the blossoming friendship...

The room had fallen silent and Beca noticed that Chloe had turned to look at her, trying to gauge her body language and facial expression. Trying to work out how uncomfortable this conversation may have become. So the redhead turned to her parents with a bright smile.

"Okay so we'll see you in a couple of weeks when you come up to visit?" Chloe chimed, and Mr Mrs Beale, who had sensed the change in atmosphere, beamed back at their daughter.

"Yes sweetheart absolutely!" Sue exclaimed, "We have Ellie that week but we'll bring her along with us so she can have cuddles with her favourite Aunts."

Chloe let out an excitable squeal, thrilled to know she'll be seeing her youngest niece. Beca simply grinned at her fiancée's reaction. Then chuckled at Jerry's "We do?" and Sue's "Yes darling."

What she wouldn't give for the upcoming 'conversation' with her father to be a little like this.


	39. Epilogue XXIV - The Announcement pt.2 - The Mitchell's

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beca tells her Dad about her engagement to Chloe...

Beca took a deep breath, reached a finger out and pushed the green 'call' icon on her iPad. The FaceTime ringing began, echoing around the small lounge, her heart racing as she stared at the word 'Dad'. This was the moment she'd been dreading.

She looked past the screen at her fiancée who sat on the floor opposite her. Chloe was peering at her own iPad, filtering through Pinterest to add 'pins' to her new 'Wedding' board. She had her legs crossed, their increasingly-growing puppy curled up within the nook her legs, Alba's heavy head lolling over the redhead's right thigh as she dozed.

Beca wanted to feel calm at the sight of two of the most important beings in her world. But the shrill ringing tone of the FaceTime call came to an abrupt stop, indicating her father was answering the call. Beca saw Chloe's head shoot up to look over at her, and the brunette tried to give the woman a smile as if to say there was nothing to worry about, but her motions were interrupted by a man's voice.

"Beca?" Cal Mitchell's voice rang out from Beca's iPad and the brunette shuffled uncomfortably on the little sofa she was sat on. She cleared her throat nervously.

"Uh hi Dad."

The room fell silent at both ends of the call. It had been months since Beca had seen her father, the last time being that moment when he and Sheila had visited and he'd been very rude to Chloe. The woman who had at the time been Beca's girlfriend. The woman who was now Beca's fiancée.

"So...um...how are you?" Cal Mitchell asked. He looked at Beca with an ounce of suspicion to his tone of voice which, lucky for him, Beca hadn't noticed. She was too busy trying to find the words to tell her father that she and Chloe were now engaged.

"I'm good. Great actually. Really great."

"That's good..."

The rooms fell silent again as the two Mitchell's looked at each other's live image on their respective iPads. Beca could feel her palms becoming sweaty. She so desperately didn't want to tell him. He wouldn't be happy. There would be no way he would be happy to hear that his only daughter was going to marry a woman. To continue being the anomaly within the family. And Beca acted as though she didn't care what he thought. But a part of her deep, deep down so desperately wanted her father to love her for who she was, to accept her decisions, and to accept Chloe and all the ways she was wonderful. Having experienced what it was like to know someone who was a good, kind father, Beca wished he was a bit more like Jerry Beale.

"So what can I do for you Beca?" Cal Mitchell said, finally breaking the silence. He sounded impatient and it had sparked a mild feeling of annoyance in Beca's body. Screw it. So what if this was going to be bad news for him. She was happy. Chloe was happy.  _The Beale's_ were happy. The Bella's will be happy. That's all who mattered really.

"I was just calling to let you know I've asked Chloe to marry me," Beca said confidently, and a part of her rejoyced when she saw her father's face drop further as he sat up in shock, "and she said yes, so...you don't have to do or say anything. This is really just a courtesy call to update you on the big things that are happening in my life."

Beca took a deep breath as her father stared at her from the screen, stunned. She looked slightly past her iPad and saw Chloe looking at her, biting her bottom lip with a noticeable wince at the impending reaction from the ever frosty Mr Mitchell.

Cal Mitchell cleared his throat, "Right...uh...have you told your mother?"

Beca froze. Ah, her mother. Beca hadn't seen her mother since the woman left the family home when Beca had been thirteen years old. She'd received a birthday and Christmas card from her every year, and in them there had always been some sort of apology, some whistful memory of a time during Beca's childhood, some hope that Beca was well, then a phone number at the bottom, just in case the daughter wanted to contact the mother one day.

Since her nineteenth birthday, however, Beca had refused to even read the words written, believing that if her mother really  _did_  love her then she'd do something more about it than simply send a crumby card. When Chloe had found out about this a few years ago on Beca's birthday, she'd taken it upon herself to read the card out to her best friend. It had broken her heart when she saw just how unphased Beca had been about the thoughtful words, the redhead struggling to imagine what life would be like if her own wonderful mother suddenly upped and left but still tried to stay in contact.

So every Birthday, the moment Beca got to the envelope that had what she recognised as her mother's handwriting on, she'd hand it to Chloe and the redhead would read the words out loud. Then, unbeknownst to Beca, the redhead would place the card in the shoebox that she kept in the 'craft box' that  _had_  laid initially in her bedroom before she and Beca had begun dating, and which now lay in the corner of the spare room. Over time the cards had begun gathering.

Beca never looked at her mother's Christmas card anymore. Choosing to throw it straight in the bin without opening it. She'd rather not know what her mother had written or what amount of money she'd given her.

"Uh..no." Beca had already had this conversation with Chloe. Her fiancée had suggested that maybe it was time to reach out, to just give her mother a courtesy call like she was going to with her father. Beca didn't think it was a good idea, "I haven't and, honestly, I'm not sure if I will."

The two Mitchell's fell silent and suddenly a slight commotion was heard from Cal's side of the call, "Is that Beca?" Sheila's voice rang out, and for the first time ever Beca was actually relieved that her step-mother was intervening in their call.

Shelia arrived on the screen and sat next to Cal, smiling brightly at Beca who gave her a polite grin, "Beca, you called!" Sheila gushed, and Beca suddenly remembered that in the last email Sheila had sent to her only last week she suggested that the young brunette should call her father and try to rebuild that bridge they kept damaging between them.

"Oh, right, yeah...I was actually just telling Dad that Chloe and I are engaged."

Beca took a sharp intake of breath in shock as a noise she'd never heard before left her stepmother's mouth. A huge smile radiated from Sheila's as the woman grabbed her husband by his arm and squeezed tight in excitement, "Oh  _congratulations_!" Beca found a grin appearing at the corners of her mouth. She hadn't expected anyone on her side of the family to act this way. "And congratulate Chloe for me too please!"

Beca looked past the iPad screen and saw Chloe beaming at her while she cradled their large puppy, "Oh um...actually she's right here so you can tell her yourself..." and Beca flipped the screen so it showed Chloe who waved politely, her smile having not waivered once.

"Congratulations Chloe!" Shelia chimed, and Beca took this time to watch her father's expression at the sight of his daughter's fiancée. He still looked pretty stunned, but he didn't look angry, and that was the thing that Beca was clinging to.

"Thank you!" Chloe sang back, before biting her lip, trying to contain her excitement. The initial heavy cloud that had hung over the room when Cal had answered had now dissapated with the arrival of Sheila, who was acting just how a family member should act at the news of an engagement.

"You know your mother and I were only speculating the other week about whether you two might get engaged soon." Sheila said in a delighted voice and gave the young couple a wink. Sue Beale had told Chloe on the phone only yesterday how wonderful Sheila was and Chloe had agreed, over the moon that her mother and Beca's stepmother had appeared to become friends.

"Well clearly you two know Beca very well." Chloe said with a giggle, hooping her arm in Beca's and squeezing it excitably. Beca found a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth as she caught Chloe's bright blue eyes shining at her. Her fiancée was right, maybe Sue and Sheila did know her better than she'd thought. Was she really that transparent?

When Beca turned back to the screen she noticed her father's expression had softened slightly and it took her a little by surprise.

"We'd be over the moon to come along to the wedding of course! That is…if we're invited..?" Beca saw Sheila's smile drop momentarily, the older woman clearly having been so swept up in the initial excitement that it hadn't crossed her mind they may not get invited.

"Well…yeah I…I mean we'd hoped you might?" Beca stuttered a little, distracted by her father's expression as the man cleared his throat awkwardly and shifted in his seat uncomfortably.

"Oh we'd love to, wouldn't we Cal!" Sheila said with a smile, turning to look at her husband and giving him a pointed look.

A forced smile appeared on the man's face and he looked back at the screen with a sharp nod, "Yes…uh…yes of course."

And Beca swallowed loudly, keeping an eye on her father as Sheila and Chloe began talking about ideas for the wedding. It may be taking him some time, but agreeing to come to their wedding was at least one step in the right direction.


	40. Epilogue XXV - The Announcement pt.3 - The Bellas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beca & Chloe subtly tell The Bellas about their engagement...

"Ready?" Beca asked.

Chloe took a deep breath and beamed at her fiancée excitably. The couple were squished on their little sofa, Chloe laid out with her legs over Beca's thighs. Sprawled across the length of her outstretched legs was Alba, whose head was settled happily on Beca's stomach and the brunette stroked her ears gently while the puppy snoozed. Beca pressed 'send' and exhaled, then looked over at Chloe with an 'eek' expression.

Chloe giggled then suddenly her phone 'pinged' the moment Beca's message arrived in the Bella's WhatsApp group. She unlocked her phone and looked at the photo Beca had sent. It was a photo that had been taken that morning, of Chloe sat on a wall down at the green near their apartment. Her back to the camera as she looked at the view ahead of her. To her left, sat on the bench, was Alba, her long tail hanging off the back of the wall. And Chloe had her left hand on the puppy's back, her engagement ring in full view, but only noticeable if the viewer knew to look for it.

The caption Beca had sent with it had read " _Not a bad view this morning_ ".

Chloe looked over at Beca affectionately. Back in college she would've never imagined her best friend to ever be this sweet. Maybe Aubrey had been wrong back when they'd been seniors and Beca had been a freshman. Perhaps she had been capable of changing the grumpy alt-girl. Or rather, not changed her exactly, but rather helped Beca become more comfortable with being openly nice. Of being more comfortable to openly be the amazing person Chloe had always known was there deep down. It had taken several years of patience throughout college, and Chloe had fallen deeper and deeper in love with Beca the more the brunette had revealed of her true self. But the woman who sat with her now was entirely the woman she'd fallen in love with in the first place, and more.

Suddenly both Chloe and Beca's phones chimed and so the flurry of messages began:

 **Lily** : Congratulations.

 **Emily** : Cutest. Puppy. Everrrrr xxx

 **Jessica** : Woah she's grown so much!

 **Jessica** : Alba I mean ;)

 **Ashley** : Who? Chloe or the dog? X

 **Ashley** : Ha never mind x

 **Jessica** : Just too quick for you Ash ;) x

 **Emily** : How old is she now Chlo? Xxx

 **Ashley** : Who? Beca or Alba?

 **Jessica** : Who? Beca or Alba?

 **Jessica** : Hahaaaaa you copycat! X

 **Ashley** : Stop it! Haha x

 **Emily** : Oh my God I meant Alba! Xxx

 **Emily** : Though…how old IS Chloe? Xxx

 **Aubrey** : 28

 **Cynthia-Rose** : Love-sick Beca weird's me out. Please go back to being single.

 **Fat Amy** : Bhloeeeeeeee.

 **Stacie** : Beca Mitchell has it all. Cute girlfriend. Cute puppy. Cute life.

 **Aubrey** : Girlfriend? Look again numbnuts ;) xx

 **Stacie** : Eh? Xx

 **Stacie** : HOLY SHIT!

 **Stacie** : FINALLY BECA!

 **Flo** : Eeeeeeyyyyaaaaaayyyyyy! Xx

 **Emily** : What? What's going on? Xxx

 **Cynthia-Rose** : Damn Beca that's SO Chloe! Well done!

 **Cynthia-Rose** : And congratulations!

 **Flo** : Yes congratulations to the best couple in the world! Xx

 **Emily** : What are we congratulating? Guuuuuys come on! Tell me! Xxx

 **Jessica** : Congratulations!

 **Ashley** : Congratulations!

 **Stacie** : Congrats you guys! Who's going to take whose name?

 **Aubrey** : You know my sentiments Chloe :) congratulations you two x

 **Emily** : Name? Xxx

 **Fat Amy** : YEEEEAAAASSSSSSS! Bhloe are getting married! Congrats Shawshank, so happy you finally got your girl!

 **Beca** : Thanks guys

 **Emily** : WHAT?! AGGGHHHHHHH! Congratulationssssssss! Xxxxxxxx

 **Chloe** : Thank you everyone! Can't believe it :) xx

 **Stacie** : So come on then, are we talking to the future Mrs Mitchell's or the future Mrs Beale's or the future Mrs Mitchell-Beale's or the future Mrs Beale-Mitchell's?

 **Stacie** : Ugh that took so long to write.

 **Aubrey** : What makes you think they've decided? Xx

 **Stacie** : Well I'd decided a while back I'd take the surname of the person I'd marry xx

 **Aubrey** : You did?! Xx

 **Stacie** : Yup :) xx

 **Aubrey** : But Conrad is so badass xx

 **Stacie** : You're only as badass as the person you marry, Posen.. xx

 **Fat Amy** : God! When you two have finished flirting can we please leave room for Bhloe to answer the God damn question!

Beca and Chloe looked at one another and smirked. They were the only two Bellas who knew that Aubrey and Stacie were in a relationship together, so it was funny to not only read their brief domestic conversation but to read Fat Amy's response – the Australian unknowingly calling Aubrey and Stacie out.

 **Cynthia-Rose** : Hahaaa!

 **Aubrey** : Amy!

 **Fat Amy** : I mean it Aubrey! Don't make me create a name for you and Stacie too!

 **Stacie** : Ooh what would the name be?

 **Aubrey** : Don't encourage her Stacie! Xx

 **Fat Amy** : Give me a mo..

 **Emily** : So guys how did the proposal happen? Xxx

 **Stacie** : Eh? Aubrey and I aren't engaged.

 **Aubrey** : She meant Chloe and Beca! Xx

 **Stacie** : We're not even dating sooooo…

 **Chloe** : Beca's label had signed a band recently..

 **Beca** : Not my label btw. Just 's new dept that I work in.

 **Chloe** : and they did a flash mob type thing but with musical instruments.

 **Emily** : Ohhhhh myyyyyyy God that sounds so SO romantic! Xxx

 **Beca** : Oh boy..

 **Chloe** : It was! SO romantic! She's amazing! Xx

 **Jessica** : Aww!

 **Ashley** : Aww!

 **Flo** : Did Alba help? Xxx

 **Beca** : If by help you mean she made Chloe late to meet me then yeah, she helped a heap..

 **Emily** : Awwwww! She's such a cute puppy! Xxx

 **Beca** : Not awww! She's a terror Em!

Chloe held her phone up and took a sneaky photo of Beca in her current position sat on the sofa, Chloe's legs on her thighs and Alba's head on her stomach. The brunette looked so calm and content. There was no way she was as mad with their puppy as she was making out to be on WhatsApp. So Chloe giggled as she sent the photo to the Bellas.

 **Chloe** : Yeah a real terror…she snuggles up to Beca far too much..

Beca looked at Chloe and rolled her eyes as the 'pinging' continued, unimpressed by the stealth photo.

 **Stacie** : Aww looooooooook! Beca 'Badass' Mitchell proving just how badass she is lol

 **Cynthia-Rose** : Hahaaa!

 **Aubrey** : Ohhh I want one!

 **Beca** : Sorry Posen, there's only one of me and I'm all Chloe's so…

 **Aubrey** : I meant the puppy.

 **Stacie** : Why don't you get one then? Xx

 **Aubrey** : Seriously? Xx

 **Stacie** : Sure. I think you're ready ;) xx

 **Fat Amy** : STAUBREY!

 **Stacie** : Huh?

 **Aubrey** : ?

 **Fat Amy** : That's your name. StacieAubrey=Staubrey

 **Emily** : Eeeeeeee! I love it! So cute! Xxx

 **Cynthia-Rose** : Hahaaa! This group is just too good! I miss you aca-bitches!

 **Fat Amy** : Staubrey, just go shack up with your puppy and we'll visit you when we're not busy visiting Bella couple #1 and their pup

 **Aubrey** : Ugh

 **Fat Amy** : Aubrey don't think I don't know. I read the news you know!

 **Emily** : What news? Xxx

 **Aubrey** : Amy I'm warning you!

 **Fat Amy:**  Nothing Legacy. Don't you worry your little heart over it.

 **Emily** : I'm twenty two! Xxx

 **Aubrey** : And I'm almost twenty nine and say that you should listen to Amy, Emily x

 **Cynthia-Rose** : Sheesh, must be good if Aubrey's advising we listen to Fat Amy..

Chloe felt it her duty as Aubrey's best friend to try to distract their fellow Bellas from the inevitable reveal of Aubrey and Stacie's relationship if the conversation continued.

 **Chloe** : So we're thinking of getting married next year!

 **Ashley** : Seriously? Eek that's so soon :)

 **Jessica** : Try not to freak Beca out Ash xx

 **Ashley** : Gosh! Yeah! Sorry!

 **Chloe** : Lol

 **Beca** : No freaking here..yet..

 **Chloe** : Alba won't give her Mama the chance to get cold feet ;)

 **Emily** : Mama?! Xxxxxxxx

 **Beca** : Relax Legacy, the name is for our puppy's reference

 **Cynthia-Rose** : Beca you're so whipped..

 **Emily** : Ohhhhh I thought you guys were pregnant or something xxx

 **Beca** : God dude, let us get married and buy a house first!

 **Beca** : And I'm not whipped! At least MY wife lets me work after 6pm

 **Emily** : WIFE?! Xxxxx

 **Chloe** : She's kidding Emily xx

 **Emily** : Oh..yeah..I can see that now. Oops hehe xxx

 **Beca** : Legacy we JUST got engaged! We haven't got married in the last ten minutes!

 **Cynthia-Rose** : Hahaaaa!

 **Fat Amy** : You alright there Staubrey? You've gone a bit quiet..

 **Stacie** : Busy looking at puppies to buy

Chloe grinned at Beca. To those who didn't know that 'Staubrey' were actually a thing, they would think Stacie was being sarcastic. The chances were, however, she was probably being completely honest. They probably were looking at puppies to buy. Or adopt. Chloe hoped they would adopt. Aubrey wouldn't have time to train a puppy and run her retreat.

 **Beca** : Good luck. I can't see Aubrey having time to train a puppy so perhaps suggest adopting a slightly older dog?

 **Stacie** : She'd kill me!

 **Stacie** : If I was dating her of course..

 **Fat Amy** : Staaaaauuuuuuubreeeeeyyyyyyy

 **Aubrey** : Ugh


	41. Epilogue XXVI – Carrie Buchanan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beca speaks to her Mom for the first time in thirteen years...

Beca swallowed loudly, clearing her throat while she held her phone to her ear. So Beca had agreed that yes she did need to probably call her mother to tell her the news. Chloe had dashed into the spare room and dug the most recent birthday card from Beca's mother to Beca out of the 'craft box'. The number had been there at the bottom of the card in ink. It said a lot that her mother hadn't even provided her cell number, instead scrawling presumably the home-number at the bottom.

Chloe sat up beside Beca on the couch, her hand held onto Beca's right, their fingers entwined. Their puppy lay obediently at their feet, gnawing her little cuddly toy that Beca had bought her before they'd picked her up. Beca glanced to her right at her fiancée who gave her a wink and a reassuring smile. A smile that dropped the second someone answered the phone on the other end of the line.

"Hello, the Buchanan's house?"

Beca froze at the sound of the man's voice. She realised she'd had no idea what her Mom's surname was. It was stupid of her to think it would still be Mitchell. What was also stupid of her was to think that her Mom would be the one to answer the phone. She jumped at the feel of Chloe squeezing her hand and realised that she may have paused a little too long.

"Uh hi! Um…is Carrie there?"

Beca hadn't said her name in a very very long time. It felt alien falling from her mouth.

"Oh sure, hold on." Beca held her breath, then felt her stomach plummet when she heard the man at the other end of the line call out in the room he was in, " _Mom! Someone on the phone for you!_ " Beca looked at Chloe whose mouth had dropped open in surprise. She had a brother.  _She had a brother!_ Younger than her, obviously. But if he was younger than her then he couldn't be more than thirteen years old. After all, that was how long it was since Carrie had left. Left Cal. Left Beca. Left them both. Had this kid been the reason why she'd left? Had she been pregnant with this other dude's kid?

Beca didn't have to much time to process her thoughts. She felt a little nauseous as a woman's voice could be heard entering the room the young man was in. She recognised that voice. She'd not heard it in such a long time, but she recognised it all the same. That was the voice of her mother, and the woman was asking her son who was on the phone. Beca's heart was hammering as she heard her brother say he didn't know and her mother tut.

"Hello Carrie speaking…"

Beca swallowed loudly. Her mind had gone blank and there was a long pause as her mother's voice became a little hesitant, "Hello?" she said again.

Beca cleared her throat, "Uh…hi…its-"

"- _Beca_?" Carrie asked immediately and Beca exhaled loudly. She hadn't realised she'd been holding her breath.

"Yeah Mom…it's...it's me."

There was a hush that sounded around the apartment as Beca listened out for her mother's reaction. Carrie appeared to be shuffling around the room she was in, presumably looking for somewhere to sit down.

"Wow…um…hi. How…how are you?"

"Yeah good…I'm…I'm good…" Beca said nervously, and began chewing her bottom lip. Her toes were stuffed under her puppy's stomach as Alba continued to chew the leg of her cuddly toy. Her right hand still entwined with Chloe's left and she found herself running her finger over the redhead's engagement ring.

"Good…" Carrie said and let out a deep exhale of her own, "…I've wanted to speak to you for so long Beca. I never expected you to call."

"Yeah well I never expected it either so that makes two of us." Beca said in a monotone voice. She was hating this. There had been so many moments during her teenage years where she'd had questions. Why had her Mom left? Had she done something wrong to make her Mom leave? Why did she love that man so much more than her Dad? But now, those questions had left her mind. She'd grown up. She'd lived her life just fine without the influence of her mother for thirteen years. Now she could confidently say that through Chloe she had a mother-figure in her life in the form of Sue Beale.

There was another long pause and Beca had forgotten just how awkward her mother was. This was where she'd got her lack of open emotion from. Her lack of talking through feelings. Lack of affection. Carrie had never been a larger-than-life cuddly person like Sue Beale was.

A loud yap echoed around the lounge and Chloe slid off the sofa to hush Alba as the puppy told her cuddly toy off. The puppy lumbered onto the redhead's lap, licking her chin enthusiastically and Chloe let out a very quiet giggle.

"Is…is that your puppy?" Carrie asked curiously and Beca looked down at Chloe who sat on the floor beside her legs. She smiled as Alba rolled onto her back in Chloe's arms to expose her belly and Chloe stroked the fur on the puppy's underside.

"Yeah."

"…Alba, right?"

Beca froze and furrowed her brow. Her smile dropped. How did her Mom know about Alba? How did she know her name? Chloe had overheard and looked up at Beca with equal confusion. Alba simply looked up because her Mommy had stopped tickling her belly.

"How do you know her name?" Beca asked slowly and Carrie appeared to clear her throat.

"I…uh…through Instagram."

Beca felt her heart rate increase. She didn't ever go on Instagram. She thought it was pointless. Chloe did but she was fairly certain her fiancée had it set to 'private' - particularly since the Obama incident of 2014... So Beca couldn't work out how her mother had found her on Instagram?

"What Instagram?" Beca asked, her mood lowering as she suspected what her mother's answer might be.

"Your…your singing group's Instagram?" Carrie said nervously in a quiet voice.

"What do you mean  _my singing group's Instagram_?" Beca's tone was noticeably increasing in irritation and she could see Chloe becoming somewhat uncomfortable at her change in mood. Alba had grown restless and scrambled to her feet to dive ontoher cuddly toy again with another 'yap'. Carrie exhaled nervously.

"I saw your performance on the TV a few years ago…the one for Obama? And…well you were in every newspaper the next day." Beca remembered the embarrassment. Fat Amy had swung down from the ceiling and ripped her outfit revealing far too much of herself to the nation. "My sons…your…your brothers…" Beca felt her stomach flip at the pluralled word "well they said how much you looked like me…then they showed me a photo of you on your group's Instagram and…well I've followed it ever since…" Beca didn't really know how to process this information so she remained frozen to the spot, staring at the wall opposite her, "...they know about you...I told them you  _were_  my daughter..." Beca swallowed loudly, her breathing increasing slightly. Her Mom had been following her progress. Her achievements. Well, The Bellas' achievements. But they were her achievements all the same. As they were Chloe's. Chloe.

Beca looked down at her fiancée who was looking up at her with an expression that Beca knew meant the redhead was just as surprised about all this information. It was hard to know what her mother now knew. Did her mother know that she was in a relationship with Chloe? Did she know they were engaged? Beca had no idea what was on The Barden Bellas Instagram page.

"…I hope you're not angry with me…" Carrie finished quietly but Beca scoffed. She wasn't just angry, she was fuming. This was an invasion of her privacy, surely? She knew stuff about Beca's life but Beca knew nothing! All that she'd known was her Mom had ran off with that dude. Now she was finding out she'd had several sons with him?!

"Who was that guy that answered the phone?" Beca asked in a flat voice. She was on the cusp of ending the call...

"Daniel. My eldest. Well, my eldest son that is…" Beca felt her stomach churn again. It was still odd to think that there'd been a couple of kids out there who'd been her brothers this whole time, and she'd had no idea. "Did you not get my cards?"

"They came. I didn't read them."

"Oh…"

"Well what did you expect Mom? You left me and Dad over thirteen years ago-"

"-I know and I have said sorry..."

"Sorry…yeah…well that makes up for everything. One stupid little word to make up for years without a mother. Thanks."

Chloe placed a hand on Beca's knee to try to calm the petite woman, but Beca maintained her frosty disposition as Carrie tried to reason with her, her own voice raising:

"Well if you'd just let me explain then maybe you'd be able to understand why!"

"You know what? I can't do this. Have a nice life Mom." And before Carrie could say anything else, Beca ended the call. She threw her phone onto the space of the couch beside her and exhaled loudly, throwing her head onto the back of the sofa. She stared at the ceiling, trying to process all that she'd just found out.

Chloe gently stood, scooping up their large puppy and sitting down on the couch, being careful not to sit on Beca's phone. If there was anything that would cheer Beca up it would be puppy kisses. But as Alba leapt onto Beca's lap the brunette forcefully shoved the pet back over to Chloe, "That was a stupid idea!" she grumbled as she stood from the couch, and began slinking out of the room.

"Becaaaaa…" Chloe tried to call her fiancée back into the room but the bedroom door slammed and the redhead let out a heavy sigh. Well, what a way to ruin the day. Perhaps the order should have gone: The Mitchell's, The Beale's, Carrie, then The Bellas? They were now out of 'happy people' to call upon.

Chloe jumped as she felt vibration down the side of the couch and she reached down the leather and pulled out Beca's phone. It was a call from an unrecognised home number and Chloe swallowed loudly, biting her bottom lip. It was bound to be Carrie calling Beca back…


	42. Epilogue XXVII – Beca’s Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beca reveals to Chloe what happened...

Chloe tapped lightly on the bedroom door, her breath hitching in her throat as she waited patiently for Beca to give her permission to enter the room. Alba was at her feet, sat obediently, letting out a soft whine. After several moments Chloe let out a sigh and turned on the spot, “Come on Alba,” she said in a quiet voice, “let’s leave Mama be…” and the redhead walked through to the kitchen with her puppy following close behind her.

_Chloe stared at Beca’s phone in her hand as it vibrated, her bottom lip caught between her teeth. She had two options here. She either answered the call and spoke to the woman who had caused her fiancée so much heartache over the years, or she ignored the call and left the phone down the couch. This was a woman who had abandoned her child. Chloe couldn’t even begin to imagine what life would’ve been like for her had her mother left her when she’d been thirteen._

_That look on Beca’s face when Carrie had spoken to her. Chloe had never seen her look like that before. The walls had been put up, she could tell, but there was this vulnerability in her eyes that broke the redhead’s heart. As though she was looking at teenage Beca. And it was this memory of the woman she loved that fuelled Chloe’s next action._

_“Beca!” Carrie called out through the phone the moment the call was answered but Chloe merely frowned._

_“She can’t come to the phone right now.” Chloe said in a low voice. She could feel her heart beginning to race a little faster, her adrenaline pumping around her body. She heard Beca’s Mom hesitate._

_“Who... Is this Chloe?”_

_Chloe froze. That had to be a complete fluke surely. Did…had Beca mentioned her at all in the brief phone call they’d endured moments ago? She couldn’t see why she would. The brunette had been too busy processing what her mother was telling her to mention the redhead, “How-”_

_“Instagram…” came the immediate answer and Chloe rolled her eyes. Instagram. Of course. Fat Amy had posted that photo on The Bellas Instagram page of her, Beca, and Alba snuggled up on a bench in Washington Square Park the other week. Both she and Beca had agreed it was a cute photo, but if either of them had realised that this was a platform that Beca’s estranged mother was using to essentially stalk the petite brunette then neither of them would have allowed it. She had to get to her friends before they posted anything else on there. _

_“Look can I please speak to her?” Carrie asked desperately, “I need to explain what happened.”_

_If it were any other circumstance Chloe would probably be tempted to give the woman a second chance. That was what made up most of Chloe’s nature. She was kind and forgiving and empathetic. She relished in seeing the other side of the story and giving everyone the opportunity to give their argument. But there was another part of Chloe’s nature, the one that was bubbling through now. Her fierce protectiveness – specifically her desire to protect Beca. Her anger simmered away but her pause had clearly been too long for Beca’s mother who spoke in a softer voice,_

_“Look you’re her girlfriend. You can speak to her for me. Get her to talk to me maybe…?”_

_“How do you know I’m her girlfriend?” Chloe asked quickly, her breathing beginning to increase. If Carrie said Instagram again Chloe was going to kill Fat Amy._

_“There was an Instagram Live Video last year…of you guys when you were on tour?”_

_Chloe closed her eyes and let out a short exhale. That fucking Insta-Live Video. Chloe could still see it playing in her brain. The way she’d kissed Beca and announced to the room they were dating… Chloe brought her hand to her brow to try to keep herself calm. Even Alba could sense the frustration in the often kind redhead’s voice and moved away from her favourite owner as Chloe spoke, “You really need to stop talking.”_

_Chloe stood up, brushing her hair back from her face, “Look I’m sure you may regret some of the decisions you made but you were a grown adult and made them anyway. Beca was a kid. She was your daughter. She needed you and you abandoned her!”_

_“Listen I don’t know what she’s been telling you but none of its true-”_

_“It’s not true you walked out on her and her Dad when she was thirteen?”_

_“Uh..well yes that’s true..”_

_“It’s not true that you didn’t try harder to contact her?”_

_“I sent her birthday and Christmas cards-”_

_“My great Aunt sends me Birthday and Christmas cards..and I still see her once a year!” Chloe tutted as she almost tripped over Alba, who had jumped down onto the apartment floor, and she walked over to the window of their lounge to look out of it. She needed to keep moving, the adrenaline now racing around her body. She was in ‘fight or flight’ mode and right now she was ready for a fight. “My great Aunt - not even my immediate Aunt - My Mom’s Aunt sees me more than you see your own daughter!”_

_She knew she was winning by the way Carrie remained quiet. But at the end of the day, in this situation, there was no winner. Carrie had lost her daughter which was entirely her own fault. And Beca had lost her mother through no fault of her own. Chloe wanted to fight for her fiancée. She wanted to say everything she was sure Beca would’ve wanted to say at some point, but she also knew she was walking a very thin line. She knew Beca and she knew Beca was going to be pissed off with her regardless of whether she’d answered this call or not. Unlike Beca, however, Chloe was able to reel in her frustration. And that was what she did._

_Chloe leant her forehead against the window with a gentle thud and sighed, “Carrie I think its best you don’t call again. Please.”_

_“She called me, remember?” Carrie protested. Chloe remembered alright. It had been her suggestion. Her fault. She should’ve never suggested it in the first place. “Why?” The mother asked._

_“Why don’t you wait until you see it on Instagram.” Chloe said with a thick voice and before Carrie could say anything more she hung up. The redhead let out a heavy exhale of breath. Beca couldn’t know about this. She should never know that she answered her phone._

 

* * *

 

Half an hour later and Chloe had done pacing the apartment. She’d done the washing up and had tidied the lounge. She needed to tell someone what had happened. And her most natural go-to person when it wasn’t Beca was her best friend. So she picked up her phone and brought up WhatsApp.

**CHLOE:** Hey Bree. I need to confess something xx

Chloe jumped as she saw Aubrey almost immediately call her phone but she declined the call. She couldn’t give Beca a reason to listen in on what she was about to tell Aubrey.

**CHLOE:** Can’t talk. Beca’s in the apartment xx

**AUBREY:** Oh God. Everything okay? xx

**CHLOE:** I think I’ve made a bad decision.. xx

**AUBREY:** Oh Chloe! You and Beca are made for each other! Don’t call off the engagement.. xx

**CHLOE:** Oh no Bree I’m not calling off the engagement!! Xx

**CHLOE:** LOL xx

**CHLOE:** I persuaded Beca to call her Mom xx

**AUBREY:** Oh God! And?? Xx

**CHLOE:** She’s the worst Bree! Beca ended up hanging up on her but…she called back…and I answered without Beca knowing… xx

**AUBREY** : Crumbs… yes that’s a pretty bad decision xx

**CHLOE:** What do I do? Xx

**AUBREY:** If it were me and I’d answered a call from Stacie’s estranged Mom I’d tell Stacie, but Stacie’s the laid-back one in our relationship. Telling Beca though? Nope. Don’t do it. What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her xx

**CHLOE:** I told her off...? xx

**AUBREY:** Told who off? Xx

**CHLOE:** Beca’s Mom. I got pretty mad at her… xx

**AUBREY:** Oh. Well…maybe tell Beca then? At least you were fighting her corner for her? Xx

**AUBREY:** Apparently Beca’s talking to Stacie at the moment xx

**CHLOE:** She is? What’s she saying? Xx

**AUBREY:** Not sure. Stacie hasn’t texted back yet xx

**AUBREY:** Oh she’s explaining about the call between her and her Mom. Sounded horrible xx

**CHLOE:** It really was :( xx

**AUBREY:** Oh Chloe!!

**AUBREY:** She overheard you talking to her Mom!! xx

Chloe swallowed loudly, staring at her phone screen. Oh God she’d heard? Chloe suddenly felt her palms go a bit clammy. This could now go one of two ways. Beca would be happy or she’d be mad. Either way this wasn’t how she’d expected to be feeling by this time in the day when she’d woken up this morning, newly engaged to the woman she loved.

**AUBREY:** Ok Stacie can’t quite work out if Beca’s annoyed about it. May be worth speaking to her? xx

**CHLOE:** Who? Stacie? xx

**AUBREY:** Beca! xx

Chloe looked up from her screen quickly as she heard the door to the bedroom open and her heart skipped a beat as she strained her ears for any movement. But there were no footsteps. Chloe watched as her puppy scrambled off the couch beside her and tottered out of the lounge presumably through to the bedroom to find Beca. A small smile spread over Chloe’s face as she heard Beca mumble a “hello” to Alba. The brunette then let out a light short chuckle as the puppy presumably attempted to lick her chin.

Chloe pushed herself up from the couch and nervously began making her way out of the lounge and through to the bedroom that sat at the back of the apartment. The bedroom door was open and she tentatively stepped over the threshold and held her breath as she looked over at her fiancée.

Beca was sat on the edge of her side of the bed, her head hanging as she stroked Alba’s furry tummy, the puppy laying on her back on Beca’s lap. Chloe brought her hands behind her and leant against the cool wall, swallowing loudly. Beca didn’t look mad. But she didn’t look happy either. She looked…unpredictable? Which was an unusual thing for the redhead to try to deal with because she’d known Beca a long time. She thought she knew everything there was to know about Beca. Well, she thought she knew everything Beca would ever allow her to know. Chloe knew that the topic of her mother was always a no-go area. So the only information Beca had ever disclosed to her was that her mother had ran out on her and her Dad when she’d only been thirteen. And that the woman sent her a Birthday and Christmas card every year. But that was it. That was the only information Beca had ever disclosed to her, and Chloe knew Beca well enough to never push her too far.

“I caught my Mom in bed with another man when I was eleven…” Beca said quietly, not taking her eyes off their puppy as Alba began to doze off, loving the feel of her owner glossing her fingertips through her fur. Chloe shuffled her feet uncomfortably as Beca continued to confess something she may have never revealed before, “…I was supposed to be at school but I skipped it…wanted to get home and practice on my new guitar…stupid of me really…I should’ve just stayed at school…”

The room fell silent as Beca continued to look down at the puppy. Chloe felt her stomach churn. She could only imagine how heart breaking and confusing that must have been for the petite brunette. And only eleven years old? That was the age her eldest niece was now. She couldn’t imagine the heartache Eva would go through if she ever caught…well Chloe couldn’t bear even thinking about it.

Beca let out a long sigh, “Mom begged me not to tell my Dad. So I didn’t. I wouldn’t have known how to. And…I kinda stopped talking for a little while after that…just…stopped. I guess I figured if I couldn’t tell my Dad what I’d seen then I probably shouldn’t say anything at all in case I accidentally told him. And it drove him crazy.” Beca shrugged, shaking her head slightly. Her tone was still quiet. Vulnerable. Cautious. But she continued:

“Mom took me out for a ‘girly trip’ to the mall about a year later. We ended up meeting that dude I’d caught her with. She tried to get me to talk to him…but I ran off…” Chloe swallowed loudly again. She was normally pretty good when it came to listening to people’s problems, but this was a whole other ball-game. Because this was the deepest secrets of her fiancée’s past. The moments that contributed to her personality. She’d once heard Aubrey call Beca ‘messed up’ behind her back. Chloe had immediately defended the brunette, having had a huge crush on her at the time, which had been one of the earliest moments that they’d known Beca. But she could have never imagined the reason behind the petite DJ’s frostiness was down to such an uncomfortable past.

“Three days after my thirteenth birthday I came home from school and…she was gone! All of her things had been taken. She’d packed up all of her stuff and had left…presumably with that dude…” Beca shook her head slowly again as she resumed stroking Alba’s belly. Chloe was holding her breath, not daring to interrupt her fiancée in any way.

“I was stood in the middle of the lounge for an hour and a half…staring at the photos of our stupid ‘perfect’ family…I hadn’t realised how many things in the house my Mom owned until they were gone…” Beca paused her stroking again as she let out another quiet sigh, “…my Dad got home and…I dunno, he freaked out a bit…and cried a lot…and I just…stood there…numb…” Chloe looked at Beca’s expression, desperate for her to look up at her. To invite her to sit beside her. But Beca remained stationary, staring over at their puppy’s face as Alba stared at the brunette as if to ask why she’d stopped tickling her. “…the only escape I found was in music…my mixes…that became my soul focus…to pull me away from reality…the reality that my Mom had screwed me up…that I was never going to feel normal again…”

Alba scrambled to turn around on Beca’s lap but to the couple’s surprise she didn’t go to lick Beca’s chin, but rather pulled herself into a tight ball and let out a long sigh before drifting off to sleep. Beca let a sad smile escape onto her face for a fleeting moment as she stroked the puppy’s ears thoughtfully, “Hearing my Mom’s voice a little while ago…it just brought all those shitty memories back…” Beca said with another sigh, and she bit her bottom lip then looked up. Chloe’s heart skipped a beat as she saw just how vulnerable the woman looked, “But then in here I realised how lucky I am to not have to deal with her any more…” Chloe thought she could detect a soft smile daring to wisp its way onto Beca’s face, “…and how lucky I am to have you in my life…and _your_ Mom…and your Dad too…and your brothers now I come to think of it…” Chloe found herself letting out a small giggle as Beca began smiling.

The redhead slowly moved over to the bed and took a seat beside her fiancée, “Beca you know I’ll never leave you, right?” she said affectionately as she brought her right arm around her fiancée’s waist and for the first time in Chloe’s memory she felt Beca lean into her slightly, “None of us Beale’s will. We’re the tightest-knit family on the planet. And you’re a part of it too!”

“I know…” Beca mumbled, and Chloe placed a quiet kiss on the woman’s head. They sat in silence for a little while, Chloe’s left hand joining Beca’s as they both stroked their puppy’s head and ears.

“Thank you for telling me.” Chloe whispered to her fiancée, “It can’t have been easy.”

“Thank you for telling my Mom off…” Beca mumbled, pulling from Chloe’s embrace to look at her. Chloe had been terrified that the brunette might be pissed at her. And perhaps if it had been the Beca she’d known seven years ago. Heck, if it had been the Beca she’d known only four years ago perhaps she would’ve been pissed. But the Beca she knew now was her fiancée. Someone who had a tendency to accept affection a little more openly. Someone who appreciated Chloe, and the moments that Chloe was protective of her. “…that can’t have been an easy decision to make either.”

Chloe shrugged, giving Beca a soft smile, “Nobody hurts my fiancée and gets away with it.” Beca smirked and nudged Chloe with her shoulder, then resumed her focus on their puppy.

“Where were you when I was thirteen…” Beca muttered.

“Who, me or Alba?” Chloe asked lightly, knowing full well Beca had meant her, but also knowing that this was a good way to get Beca to smile, “Because Alba was only born a few months ago so technically when you were thirtee-”

“-I meant you and you know it!” Beca said with a chuckle, rolling her eyes at her fiancée and Chloe sat up straight with a smug grin on her face, seizing the opportunity to lighten the mood.

“I was sixteen, a hopeless romantic, and completely oblivious to the fact that I would have to wait another five or so years before I got to meet the love of my life…” Chloe said, giving Beca a wink. But the brunette merely rolled her eyes again.

“Ugh! So cheesy Beale…” Beca said looking back down at their puppy, and more specifically how good Chloe’s engagement ring looked on her long slender finger.

“Oh you love it really…” Chloe said, bringing her hand back around Beca’s waist and placing a loud kiss on her cheek. The brunette didn’t shy away but she did make another “ugh” sound which was an automatic response to this form of affection that stemmed from her freshman year with The Bellas – who for some reason had loved winding the petite brunette up by placing kisses on her cheek. Suddenly Beca let out a yelp as Alba scrambled to her feet and lunged at her chin to lick it over and over again, “Kiss attaaaaack!” Chloe yelled, giggling as she and Alba overpowered the petite brunette to lay out on the bed. Chloe kissed Beca over and over on the cheek as their puppy licked Beca furiously on the chin. And Beca let out a loud hearty laugh while she pretended to hate it.


	43. Epilogue XXVIII - New Years Eve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beca, Chloe & Alba celebrate New Years Eve together..

Chloe sat curled up on the large leather sofa that stood towards the back of Beca's recording studio. She tipped back the beer bottle in her hand, taking a long swig of the alcohol within it. Her eyes were on her fiancée as the brunette sat with her back to her, headphones on, fiddling with some dials, trying to get the current track she was working on to sound right. Alba was snoozing at Beca's feet, the dog's usual position whenever she was in the recording studio despite her bed that lay to the right of the recording desk.

It had been three months since Beca and Chloe had got engaged. Since then Beca had finally got the promotion she'd been eyeing up. She was now a ' _Junior Music Producer_ ' at Residual Heat's NYC department. She was finally beginning to earn bigger bucks and as a result Beca had insisted that Chloe leave her job at the coffee shop.

Chloe had initially felt guilty at the prospect of leaving the place that had been so good to her from the moment they'd first moved to the city three years ago. But once Beca introduced her to Gloria Delgarno – one of Broadway's leading choreographers – who had offered Chloe an unpaid internship to work alongside her on her next project, Chloe had leapt at the chance.

Chloe's interning days involved long hours and as such she left their apartment at the same time as Beca each morning, often not finishing until early evening. So to prevent Alba from being left alone all day, and to save the stress of either woman having to get home to walk the dog before she trashed the apartment, Beca and Chloe had agreed that Beca would take Alba into work with her. So Alba had her own little dog bed in the corner of Beca's office  _and_  in the recording studio, though according to the brunette the puppy (who was far less like a puppy the more the days rolled on) tended to follow her  _everywhere_  in the studio and her office. Something that Chloe had been thrilled to hear.

With the couple both working long hours in the city, they now found that they spent more time away from home than they did in their apartment. They also found they spent more time  _together_ , travelling to and from the city for work each day. Chloe always went to Beca's studio once she finished work. There she'd either wait patiently for Beca to finish off whatever she was working on, or would take Alba out for a long walk up to and around Washington Square until Beca was ready. The moment Beca finished work, the couple and their pup would go out for dinner before catching an Über home.

Tonight was New Years Eve. The end of another great year. And Chloe finished the dregs of her beer, smiling as she watched Beca sigh, pull her headphones off her head, and spin her chair to face her. Alba looked up from her position at her owner's feet under the desk, wondering why she'd moved.

"Right, I'm calling it," Beca said, "No more work tonight."

Chloe cheered as Beca took a long swig of beer from her own bottle and the sound made Alba excitably rise to her feet, dashing over to Chloe, wagging her tail. Chloe sat up on the sofa, leaning over to flap their dog's ears, "Yaaaay! Mama's ready Albaaaaa!" she said before giggling as the dog became crazy excitable, wagging her tail quickly and letting out a short bark to emphasise it.

"Come on then," Beca said rising to her feet, "lets get to the roof before we miss the fireworks!" The brunette smiled and Chloe felt an overwhelming rush of love seeing her fiancée looking so happy. They'd had a busy few weeks in their respective jobs, having only been able to spend 3 days down at The Beale's over Christmas because Chloe's internship with Gloria had required her to return on the 27th. Beca had gone back with her of course and had surprised her boss when he'd realised she wasn't taking two weeks off over Christmas New Year like the rest of the company. So he'd given her a bonus on top of her Christmas bonus.

While Beca grabbed their winter coats and hats, Chloe jumped to her feet, swaying slightly, having already drunk a few bottles of beer – not quite as many as she once did in college but nowadays she found she couldn't quite handle her drink like she had back in the day. Beca reached out, taking her hand with a chuckle, "Woah! You alright there Chlo?"

Chloe leant her face towards her fiancée and kissed her on the lips, "Uhuh!" she said lightly, before watching Beca place her beer bottle with the seven other beer bottles they'd shared in the last couple of hours. Chloe allowed Beca to lead her out of the studio by the hand, their dog scrambling to race ahead of them, knowing that leaving the room meant getting to ride the elevator. And Alba loved riding the elevator.

The chilly winter breeze whipped around the rooftop of the building block that Residual Heat rented, and Beca and Chloe stepped out from the fire escape, wincing at the air as it hit their warm faces. Chloe slung her winter coat around her body and buttoned it up at the front, grinning at Beca who couldn't seem to find the opening of her coat sleeve to put her arm through.

"It's here!" Chloe said with a giggle as she held the sleeve out to show the opening. Beca rolled her eyes at herself, grunting slightly as she put her coat on. Alba, meanwhile, was busy sniffing around an air conditioning unit on the rooftop a few feet away.

Chloe put her gloves on while she watched Beca call their dog over and Beca proceeded to put Alba's coat on the dog. Winter nights in NY could get bitterly cold and once Beca had stood up Chloe found her breath getting caught in her lungs while her eyes landed on her fiancées cheeks that had turned pink with the chilly breeze. She looked so beautiful.

Beca reached out to her fiancée and placed the redhead's wooly hat on her head, pulling it down with a soft smile on her face, "Looking cute in that hat, Beale" and Chloe found herself giggling as Beca then placed her own hat on her own head.

"Looking cute with those pink cheeks, Mitchell"

"Shut uuuuup.." Beca muttered, but a small grin grew on her face as she took Chloe by the hand and guided her to the edge of the roof that had a wire fence lining it.

There they stood, gloved hand-in-gloved hand, looking out at the cityscape, Alba sat obediently at their feet. The bright lights of downtown New York shone into the nights sky and Chloe looked up hoping to see stars. But it didn't surprise her when she couldn't see any – such was the light pollution of the city. She missed the stars so much.

"So I've been thinking…" Beca began, and Chloe could tell by the way her fiancée was squeezing her hand on and off that she was nervous, "what do you think about getting married in April?"

Chloe felt her eyes widen as she looked down from the sky and over at Beca. The brunette turned to look at her with a calm smile.

"As in…four months time?!" Chloe couldn't help the surprised tone to her voice.

"As in four months time." Beca confirmed.

They'd been looking at venues in Hawaii, after the venue they had first seen back when they'd first got engaged had become fully booked. All the other hotels had seemed far too pricey and Chloe couldn't imagine for a moment that the price would have gone down in a matter of days. But Beca was still smiling.

"Chloe, I got a New Years bonus today. Put it with some of my savings and we could afford it no problem. I've done some research and the weather is supposed to be at its best in April. We could get married, in Hawaii, in four months time."

Chloe didn't know what to say. Her heart was racing a little faster at the thought of becoming Mrs Chloe Mitchell. It had been on her mind a lot recently. Particularly when she and Beca had gone to Mr Mrs Beale's house for Christmas. Chloe had realised, sadly, that it might be the final year she would be a Beale. Clearly she'd been right.

"Would…everyone be free? I mean…it's  _Hawaii_!" Chloe said, but a smile was beginning to spread across her face as she looked at her fiancée, excited at the prospect.

"I know it's crazy, but Chlo we  _could_  do it!" The brunette turned to face Chloe and Chloe turned to face Beca, her bottom lip caught between her teeth as Beca continued, "We could invite your family, The Bellas, my Dad Sheila, and we could all have an awesome weekend away in Hawaii. With the people most important to us." Beca had snaked her arms around Chloe's waist, holding them tight together, her breath visible in the chilly night air, "Chloe, I don't want to wait too long to become 'Beca Beale', you know?"

Chloe couldn't help the flicker of surprise that appeared on her face at Beca's final line. Neither of them had discussed who would take who's name once they got married. And by the looks of things they'd both assumed they'd be taking the others.

"Beca wha-? You want to take my name?" Chloe asked softly and a smile grew across Beca's face.

"Well yeah…if…if that's ok? It's just your family…well I feel as though your family is more of a family to me than my own family is. They've welcomed me into their home. Into their lives. They've always treated me like a Beale so…it'd feel weird marrying you and not becoming a Beale. It'd feel weird bringing our children into the world and them not having the Beale name."

Chloe was speechless as she looked into her fiancée's eyes. She couldn't believe it. She was still going to be a Beale. And Chloe hadn't realised just how much she'd wanted that until now.

She loved Beca so much she would've happily have taken her name had the brunette wanted. In fact Chloe had spent the past couple of years wondering what it would be like to answer to 'Chloe Mitchell'. But Beca didn't want that. She wanted to be a part of the Beale family through and through.

So Chloe smiled, pulling Beca towards her, and gliding the tip of her nose over her fiancée's, "I would love that" she whispered and she saw Beca let out a sigh of relief.

Just as their lips met, the sound of fireworks could be heard going off around the city. The future Mrs Mrs Beale celebrated the New Year with a deep and passionate kiss, thrilled that this coming year would be the year they'd finally be married.


	44. Epilogue XXIX - Wedding Dress Shopping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beca isn’t so thrilled to be wedding dress shopping, Stacie almost reveals to The Bellas that she and Aubrey are dating, and Jerry Beale has a lovely afternoon with Alba at the dog-park.

Beca let out a huge sigh as she stood outside the fifth store her friend's had dragged her to. On her left stood Stacie, Lily and Cynthia-Rose. On her right stood Fat Amy and Ashley.

Beca hated shopping at the best of times. More so she hated clothes shopping. But today was the day that all nine of the Bellas had arrived in New York and split off to take Beca and Chloe wedding dress shopping. Aubrey had of course taken Chloe with Sue Beale, and with them she'd enlisted the help of Emily, Jessica, and Flo.

Beca had been assigned Stacie and Fat Amy, the two Bellas she was closest to after Chloe. Cynthia-Rose had immediately volunteered to join them, always being a safe bet when it came to picking out a good outfit for a woman who hated wearing dresses. Ashley was asked to join Beca's team due to her straight-up honesty (there was no way she'd lie to Beca if she thought a dress she'd chosen was bad) and Lily had been told by Aubrey to keep an eye on Beca in case the petite brunette tried to make a run for it (something that had made Lily smile deviously).

"I've got a good feeling about this place!" Stacie said optimistically.

"You said that at the last store we went to.." Beca muttered unenthusiastically.

She was certain she'd never tried so many dresses on in her life. Every time her friends picked one out she grimaced. They were alright dresses, but they just weren't her. Beca watched as Stacie strode up to the door and walked inside the store. Beca felt Fat Amy nudge her, "Come on Shawshank, the sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can go for dinner."

The Australian was right, she just had to grin and bear it then she could finally be reunited with Chloe and the rest of The Bellas for dinner at The Rubix Bar. This was always going to be the hardest part of the planning. Finding a dress. So with a sigh Beca slouched into the bridal wear store after Stacie, the rest of her 'team' following her.

Beca couldn't help but gawk at the expensive aura that seemed to envelope the interior of the store. Everything was white. The marbled floor, the walls, the ceiling. Huge mirrors lined one side making the room seem far bigger than it was. And opposite those mirrors were rails upon rails of wedding dresses. Beca gulped and immediately felt the little energy she had left seep from her body.

"Good afternoon ladies!" The store assistant greeted politely, "How can I help you today?"

"We're after a wedding dress for this one," Stacie said with a smile as she tugged Beca forward so the staff member could see her properly, "But she's not a fan of clothes shopping so…we're going to have to cut to the chase if that's okay?"

Beca hated being the centre of attention, and this right here? This was centre of attention. That was one of the things she loved so much about her fiancée. Chloe didn't  _mind_  being centre of attention. In fact being the only daughter – and the youngest child – of Sue & Jerry Beale, the redhead hadn't had much choice but be centre of attention growing up. And Beca sighed. She wished Chloe was here right now. The redhead knew her better than anyone and could often tell if Beca wasn't feeling so great without Beca having to actually say anything..

"She gets pretty grouchy pretty quickly.." Fat Amy whispered loudly and Beca frowned, turning to look over her shoulder at her friend who simply raised her eyebrows with a "yikes" type of expression.

"So I see…" the staff member said with caution as Beca turned back to look at her impatiently, "Okay well you're free to look at all the samples we have here. Did you have a budget in mind?"

Beca sighed as she noticed the woman's name tag, "It'll cost what it costs Cheryl. Just show me the fucking dresses." she said plainly, the staff member looking quite taken aback by her bluntness.

"See," Fat Amy said, pointing at Beca, "grouchy."

'Team Beca' began fanning out, taking a long rail each and sliding through each dress. Beca observed reluctantly, not enjoying the glances she'd get from her friends every once in a while as they tried to work out if the dress they'd just laid their hands on would suit the brunette.

Beca let out a sigh, then felt her phone vibrate in her back jeans pocket. She turned her back on her friend's as she pulled the device out to read the message sent. She hoped it'd be from Chloe, but to her surprise, it was from Jerry..

Jerry Beale chuckled as he wandered down the street, Alba trotting obediently by his side as they approached the dog park up ahead. In his left hand he held Alba's lead, and in his right hand he held a tennis ball. He'd never been one for wanting a dog as an adult. Despite years and years of his children and wife begging for a family dog he'd kept his foot down. Jerry himself had gone through heartache as a teen when the family dog had died. There was no way he ever wanted his wife and children to know that very heartache.

But there was nothing he could do now his children were grown adults and it hadn't surprised him in the slightest the moment Chloe had called himself and Sue to inform them that she and Beca were getting a puppy. And though Jerry had told himself to keep his distance from his daughter's dog, as well as the dog that his son had already got with his other half, Jerry had fallen head over heels for Alba within minutes of first meeting the puppy.

Jerry nudged the gate to the dog park open and let Alba off the lead, chuckling again as the white Labrador dashed off to greet the other dogs that were currently darting about the small park. He took a seat on one of the benches and let out a happy sigh. He didn't mind in the slightest that he was missing out on the chaos that he imagined 'Wedding Dress shopping' to be. Chloe's dress would cost what it cost, after all he only had one daughter. Though Jerry believed that his little girl could wear a black bin liner and still look stunning on her wedding day. He had faith though that with his wife and Aubrey Posen leading 'Team Chloe' around to find her dress, that they would find the perfect one in next to no time. Jerry pulled his phone out of his pocket. The women  _had_  been out shopping for almost six hours now though… perhaps things weren't going quite as successfully as he hoped they would?

Almost as if reading his mind, a message from his wife popped up on his phone screen and Jerry smiled as he read:

_Twinkle had a slight breakdown in two of the stores but we think we've finally found the dress! Xxx_

Jerry chuckled, remembering just how stressed his daughter had been when they'd taken her to pick a dress for her high school prom. The redhead had cried  _a lot_  and in the end Jerry had taken her and Sue straight home because even  _he_  had become stressed. To say that raising a daughter had been challenging for the parents who had only known raising sons was an understatement. But Sue and Jerry Beale wouldn't have it any other way.

_Tell her Daddy can't wait to walk her down the aisle in it xx_

The man looked up from his phone as Alba scrambled over to him, panting hard, her tongue hanging out as she wagged her tail to greet him. He chuckled, reaching a hand out and patting the dog on her head. The white Labrador sat at his feet, looking up at him expectantly and Jerry realised he still had the tennis ball in his hand. So with a deep breath Jerry threw the ball across the park, watching Alba scramble quickly away after it.

This was Jerry and Alba's favourite game. Chloe always commented on how much her dog adored her father because Jerry would happily throw a tennis ball for Alba all day. In fact at Christmas time Jerry did exactly that – he sat on the back porch of his home and threw a tennis ball for several hours on Christmas Day afternoon while Beca & Chloe had gone upstairs for a mid-afternoon nap.

The game was continued for several minutes until Jerry paused, wanting to send a photo to his daughter and daughter's fiancée. So with a big grin he looked down at the Labrador, holding his phone out, and as if Alba was used to having photos taken of her (which Jerry suspected Chloe did a lot) the dog appeared to sit deadly still and look up at him with her big puppy-dog eyes.

Jerry sent the photo with the caption, ' _Alba misses her Mom's x_ ' then continued throwing the tennis ball for the dog who happily dashed off to fetch it. Within minutes Jerry received a reply from Beca and he had to admit, he felt sorry for the girl. He'd known Beca long enough to know that the brunette hated being the centre of attention, particularly if she didn't have his daughter by her side.

_'Tell Alba I miss her more! And that I'm desperately hoping to be rescued from this hell very soon! X '_

"Beca! Are you on your phone?"

Beca jumped, quickly turning and hiding her phone behind her back as Stacie looked at her accusingly, her own phone up to her ear.

"Um..no?" Beca said with an awkward expression stuffing her phone into her back pocket. She'd just sent Chloe a text telling her how much she missed her and wished she was here because Stacie was far more military about this whole 'wedding dress' situation than she'd expected and that perhaps Stacie had spent far too much time with Aubrey. Stacie rolled her eyes at Beca's response and the brunette instinctively pulled her phone back out to quickly text Chloe again, but by doing that she missed Stacie motioning to Cynthia-Rose and Lily to take Beca's phone from her.

So Beca let out a yelp as Cynthia-Rose lunged for her, pulling her to the ground while Lily expertly snuck the device from the petite brunette's fingers, "If that's my girlfriend, tell her I'm being held captive here against my will!" Beca cried out at the top of her voice to Stacie.

"Actually it's  _my_  gir-" Stacie quickly began to respond, but stopped mid-sentence as she realised what she had almost revealed, "-Aubrey…i-it's…my girl Aubreeeeey!" she said awkwardly, hoping she'd covered up the mistake. Fortunately for the leggy brunette, Beca was yelping so loudly, and Fat Amy had roared as she ran towards what had now become a bundle, ready to leap on top of the pile, 8 that Stacie had got away with it.

"Don't worry babe," Stacie mumbled under her breath, "we've taken her phone off…her…now…" and the brunette's sentence trailed off as her eyes caught sight of the most perfect outfit for Beca to wear at her wedding, "Bree, I'll call you back!" Stacie said, quickly hanging up the call.

Beca felt the breath leaving her lungs with a loud "oof" as Fat Amy tumbled onto Cynthia-Rose, who had Beca pinned to the ground. But a loud voice ricocheted off the walls around them and the small pile of Bellas froze as Cheryl, the store assistant, strode over to them. Her heels clicking while she frowned.

"Ladies! This is  _not_  an underground wrestling arena! Either you behave properly or I'm sorry but I'm going to have to ask you to leave!" the woman's voice was shrill, and Beca immediately felt guilty. In her defence it hadn't been her fault. But just as she was getting to her feet and catching her breath, a voice rang out from the rails.

"Beca! I've found it!"

And Beca turned to Stacie as the leggy brunette tugged an outfit from within the depths of the wedding dresses. Her eyebrows raised. Then a small smile grew on her face. And for the first time all day, Beca felt a huge wave of relief rush over her body. Stacie wasn't kidding. She'd found it alright. She'd found the outfit that Beca would wear to her wedding.


	45. Epilogue XXX - The Evening Gathering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe & Beca are joined by Jerry, Sue, Aubrey, Stacie, Fat Amy, CR, and Alba for dinner at The Rubix Bar..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N - Okay I'm going to have to stop apologising at the start of each of these updates. Work. Life. Love. It's all crazy busy and that's why I've struggled to get a decent couple of days to write a proper chapter. Thank you to those of you have been patient though and I hope you enjoy this next chapter :)

There was a loud hubble of chatter, clinking of glasses, and scraping of cutlery on plates as the busy dinner service at  _The Rubix Bar_  continued to be in full swing. A band were busy setting up on the small stage in the far corner. And in the other far corner of the large bar sat Chloe and Aubrey at the table that was so often reserved for the redhead and her fiancee on a Saturday evening. 

Chloe tapped her fingertips lightly on the wooden table before her, tapping to the beat of the low music playing through the bar’s speakers, and her head was turned to look over the full tables down the length of the room at the front door of the establishment. It was just after 7pm. Where  _was_  everyone??

“Chloe, calm down, okay?” Aubrey said kindly to her best friend, and Chloe turned to her, raising her eyebrows.

“You’re sure Beca got a dress alright?” the redhead asked in a concerned tone.

“Yes! Stacie told me it took them five stores but they finally found it.” Aubrey said, smoothing a reassuring hand across her best friend’s back. Chloe appeared to take a deep calming breath to try to compose herself then she smiled.

“Okay,” she breathed, “sorry it’s just...I know how much Beca  _hates_  clothes shopping and...I just don’t want her to be put off marrying me based on how terrible the wedding dress shopping experience is.”

Chloe knew she was being ridiculous. She  _knew_  Beca, and she knew her fiancee wouldn’t be put off marrying her based on how stressful dress shopping could be. But Chloe had had such a stressful time today, far more stressful than she’d first expected, and she normally  _enjoyed_  shopping! So she could only imagine how stressed out Beca must have got.

_“Okay, Chloe, sweetheart, I’m going to need you to take some deep breaths.” Chloe heard her mother say to her while the younger woman sat in a crumpled heap on the floor. Her dream dress, the dress she’d always envisioned herself wearing on her wedding day, the dress she wore right now, looked AWFUL on her. Horrific!_

_“N-no..” Chloe said stubbornly, tears flowing down her cheeks, “th-that’s i-it!” she stuttered, “I c-can’t get m-m-married! C-call Beca. T-tell her that her f-fiancee wont b-be going t-to the wedding because sh-she doesn’t h-have a dreeeessssss!” and the redhead wailed into the palms of her hands that she threw up to her face.  
_

_Matters weren’t made any better when her mother let out a small chuckle while she placed her hands on her daughter’s shoulders, and it only made Chloe bawl louder._

_“Oh sweetheart it’s okay. This is only the second store we’ve been to and only the sixth dress you’ve tried on!” Sue Beale said kindly, looking over her crying daughter’s head at Aubrey who stood with Jessica, Flo, and Emily - the latter Bella looking somewhat perplexed at the redhead’s dramatic overreaction to the current dress she was wearing. Fortunately for Chloe, her wedding dress entourage knew her well. So, led by Aubrey, the Bellas scattered around the plush Bridalwear store in search of several different bridal dresses that might suit the woman instead, while the mother of the bride tried to pull her only daughter out of the meltdown she was having.  
_

“Oh good, your Mom found your Dad.” Aubrey said brightly, motioning to the front doors of  _The Rubix_  just as Sue and Jerry Beale stepped into the establishment. They were met by a chorus of warm greetings from the waiting staff that were busy compiling drinks orders and putting through food orders to the kitchen. But none of the staff welcomed the Beale’s as warmly as Jason,  _The Rubix’_ s owner, who strode around the bar area to pull Mr & Mrs Beale into friendly hugs. The couple had only ever been in the place a handful of times, but they were still always remembered thanks to their kind nature, good humour, and Jerry’s generous tips. 

Sue Beale had originally arrived at  _The Rubix_  with Chloe and Aubrey, but following a brief call from her husband telling her that he couldn’t quite remember where the place was, the mother had left her daughter and her daughter’s oldest friend to search for her husband and guide him in the right direction. Chloe smiled brightly at her parents as they weaved their way between the tables over to their daughter’s table in the far corner of the room. A smile that broadened as she watched her father being tugged along by Alba who scrambled as frantically as possible to get to her owner. Chloe spun in her chair, swinging her legs around so she could welcome her young dog with open arms, and Alba launched her front legs up onto Chloe’s lap to lick her chin excitably.

The redhead let out a loud long giggle, “Heeeeeyyyyyy Albie! I know, I know, I missed you toooooo!” Chloe said delightfully, before her fingers finally got hold of her dog’s collar and she gently pulled Alba from her face, “Come on now, calm down.” and she let out a sigh of relief when the white labrador brought her paws down and sat obediently by her side. 

Chloe took the lead from her father’s hand as the man leant down to kiss his only daughter on the cheek, “Hey Daddy.” she said sweetly and the man chuckled.

“Hey Twinkle. Heard you got the dress!” Jerry Beale said in a hearty voice, looking down proudly at his daughter and the woman beamed up at him.

“Yes! It’s perfect! Aubrey found it actually..” Chloe said, motioning to the blonde who was sat beside her.

“Ha! Aubrey! How are you??” Mr Beale said in his warm booming voice, stepping over Alba’s body at his daughter’s feet and moving over to greet the blonde who had been Chloe’s best friend in her first few years of college. “It’s been so long!”

Aubrey rose to her feet, grinning brightly as she received a warm hug from her best friend’s father. The Beale’s had always been a wonderfully affectionate family, and Aubrey always remembered how jealous she’d used to be in the early days of her friendship to Chloe, hating how close the redhead’s family all were to one another when The Posen’s were often so difficult to get close to. But over time Aubrey had been able to embrace their kind nature to the point that now the woman could go years without having seen her best friend’s parents and would still be greeted by them as though they’d seen her last week.

“It’s certainly been a while.” Aubrey agreed with a smile, taking a seat beside Chloe again. 

“Are you still running that place? Um...’Lodge of Fallen Trees’ is it?” Jerry asked enthusiastically, beginning to take the seat beside Chloe, but as Aubrey opened her mouth to answer, Chloe’s mother gave the man a gentle slap on his upper arm with the back of her hand, “Ow. Wha-?” he said, furrowing his brow at Sue, but the older woman raised her eyebrows.

“Beca’s going to sit there!” Mrs Beale said in a bossy tone, and Jerry raised his hands in apology, muttering “Well excuse me for wanting to sit next to my daughter. I’ve not seen her all day but whatever..” and Sue simply rolled her eyes sharing a smile with her husband who pretended to be huffy as he moved around and sat the other side of his wife, “Oh  _relax_ , remember that Beca won’t have seen her all day either..” the woman said and her husband tutted before grinning, then turning back to the two younger women who now sat opposite him.

“Sorry Aubrey.” Jerry said kindly, motioning for her to answer.

“Yes, I’m still running the lodge.” Aubrey said with an amused tone, always loving how light-hearted the relationship between Chloe’s parents was.

“And it’s called the ‘Lodge of Fallen Leaves’, Daddy. Not trees.” Chloe said with a giggle, before motioning over at Jason who was stood behind the bar. She pointed down at her dog and the bar owner nodded with a smile before opening one of the cupboards behind the bar.

“Sorry.” Jerry said, but Aubrey merely giggled.

“That’s really okay, Mr Beale. Close enough!” the blonde said kindly as she watched Jason stride over to the table with a dog bowl full of water. The bar owner crouched down and placed the bowl in front of Alba, chuckling as the white lab launched herself up to lick his chin. The man ruffled the dog’s fur affectionately, then motioned to the bowl of water which Alba began lapping at.

“Can I get any of you some drinks or did you want to wait for the rest of your group?” Jason asked politely, but Chloe quickly answered before her parents or best friend could get a word in edgeways.

“No it’s-” she paused, looking around the bar owner at the front door as it opened, but to her disappointment it wasn’t her fiancee or the three other Bellas that Chloe knew would be joining them. So she turned back to Jason letting out a short breath of air and forcing a smile back on her face to try to hide her disappointment, “-we’ll wait for the others. Thank you.”

“Well you know where I am when you’re ready.” The man said with a smile, looking around the small group, then made his way to the door to see to the new customers who were waiting patiently by the door.

“Sooooo Aubrey...” Sue asked cautiously, looking from the way her daughter was still watching the door like a hawk - clearly concerned that Beca wasn’t actually going to turn up for dinner even though it had been the brunette’s idea in the first place - to the blonde woman by her daughter’s side who smiled politely at her, “...any news on the romance front? I can imagine it’s difficult to date while you’re running a business in the middle of nowhere!” Sue said with a gentle chuckle.

Aubrey swallowed loudly. She didn’t often get asked about her love-life because she rarely spoke to her family, and when she did they were usually more interested in how her career was going rather than her love-life. But The Beale’s were a family she trusted. And she had admired the way they had welcomed their daughter’s decision to be in a romantic relationship with Beca..

So the blonde looked down at her hands nervously, her eyes scanning over the beautiful white-gold bracelet that Stacie had bought her for Christmas. And a smile slowly grew on her face.

“Oh that’s a yes!” Jerry Beale said in a teasing tone that he so often used on his children and grandchildren. A tone that Chloe recognised, and the younger redhead snapped her attention from the front door of the bar to her parents as they looked at her best friend in delight.

“Who is he??” Sue asked excitably while she and her husband leant forward, as though Aubrey was about to divulge a huge secret. Chloe’s mouth began to hang open a little with surprise. Aubrey wasn’t about to tell them about Stacie, was she??

“ _She_...” Aubrey began, then looked up at Mr  & Mrs Beale as their mouths dropped open in shock. But not in a horrified sort of way. Because smiles were still on their faces, which gave the blonde the confidence to continue, “...is actually one of The Bellas. Stacie?” she finally said, in a way that almost asked the parents if they knew which one that was.

“Ooh the model?” Sue asked curiously.

“Yes.” Aubrey said with a nod, her smile broadening, a weight already having felt as though it had been lifted from her shoulders. It was so good to finally be able to tell more people, even if those two people were ones she rarely saw. “Yes the model.”

Jerry Beale let out a puff of air, raising his eyebrows before letting out a kind chuckle, “Well there must be something in the water at Barden that’s for sure!” and he and his wife chuckled as Chloe beamed at Aubrey. She was over the moon for her best friend. One step closer to finding the courage to tell The Bellas.

“We’re still keeping it a secret for the moment though. For Stacie’s career and in case my family find out..” Aubrey said nervously, and the parents nodded their heads seriously. Thanks to the stories Chloe had told them over the years, they understood that the blonde’s family were far from liberal when it came to Aubrey’s decisions in life. Her choice in partner was likely to be the final straw. 

“Well don’t you worry Aubrey, your secret is safe with us.” Sue said kindly.

“What secret?” came a voice beside the table and the occupants turned in surprise to see the beaming bright smile of Fat Amy, who opened her arms up, “We made iiiiiiit!” she sang, then threw her arms around Chloe, squeezing her tight while muttering into her ear, “Beca nearly had a meltdown but we found the dress.”

“Thank you” Chloe mumbled back into the Australian’s ear in relief, looking over the woman’s shoulder to see her fiancee wearing a big smile on her face as she began winding her way between the tables towards them, rolling her eyes which communicated to Chloe just how long the day had felt for the petite woman.

As Fat Amy did the rounds, pulling Aubrey into a tight hug, then bee-lining straight for The Beale’s, Chloe stood and wrapped her arms around Beca’s neck. She let out a small giggle as her fiancee mumbled into her ear, “God am I glad to see you..”

“Long day?” Chloe said quietly into her ear and Beca squeezed her waist tight.

“Ugh the  _longest_.”

“I missed you.”

“Missed you more.” Beca added, placing a kiss on Chloe’s neck before pulling out of the hug and working her way over to Mr & Mrs Beale who each gave her a tight hug: Sue giving her a sympathetic “There she is! The trooper survives!” and Jerry giving her an amused “Be lucky you weren’t  _with_  Chloe while shopping..”

Chloe watched her parents as they each hugged her fiancee and her smile softened. She loved her family. And she loved that Beca valued being a part of it. Being an  _important_  part of it. 

The redhead allowed herself to be pulled into a warm hug from Stacie as the leggy brunette stepped up to her once Beca had moved over to Mr & Mrs Beale, “Beca did great. And she’d going to look stunning on your wedding day!” Stacie muttered into Chloe’s ear and as Chloe thanked her, the brunette looked over her friend’s shoulder to see her girlfriend smiling affectionately at her. God she’d missed Aubrey today. It was difficult spending the only day they had off together that month in the same city but apart. 

CR was the final member of the dining party to do the greetings-round, the rest of The Bellas having had to travel all the way back to their respective homes this evening. As she made her way around The Beale’s, Stacie strode up to Aubrey winding her arms around her waist and mumbling an “I really missed you” into her girlfriend’s ear. And Aubrey simply smiled, squeezing her girlfriend tight then placing a quick kiss on her cheek before they parted and took their seats. Stacie took the seat on the other side of the blonde, then kept her hands in her lap to try to avoid the temptation of placing her hand on her girlfriend’s lap.

The rest of the group all took their seats, Beca letting out a loud chuckle as Alba continued to wag her tail ferociously, over the moon to be reunited with both her and Chloe once again, and the two women stroked and scratched their white labrador with beaming smiles on their faces while they looked from Alba to each other and back again.

“Drinks?” Jason asked, arriving at the table promptly and the adults’ eyes all lit up. 

“Shots of Tequila all round!” Fat Amy exclaimed excitably, but the rest of her table groaned.

“Yeeeeahhh I’m not gonna have Tequila.” Beca said firmly to her friend, something that the other adults around her agreed with, and the Australian shrugged and ordered a Tequila for one.

“I’ll get a JD and Coke.” CR said politely with a smile and Fat Amy raised her eyebrows.

“Ooh I’ll get one of those too!”

“We’ll share a bottle of chardonnay” Aubrey said, motioning between herself and Stacie, ignoring the way Sue & Jerry Beale smiled at the two women sat beside one another.

While the parents ordered their own drinks, Beca placed a hand on Chloe’s thigh to draw her fiancee’s attention, “Did you want to share a bottle of rose?” she asked quietly, and Chloe couldn’t help that cosy feeling she felt in her heart whenever the brunette put her first. Because rose wasn’t Beca’s favourite beverage of choice. Beer was. So the older woman shook her head, then turned to Jason with a smile.

“I’ll get a rose.” she said sweetly, “And did you have those beers I brought?” The bar owner nodded. “Great, Beca will have one of those please.” and Jason grinned before making his way over to the bar.

“Ooh watch out Shawshank,” Fat Amy said in a teasing tone as the couple turned back to the table, “She’s now ordering your drinks for you. It’s a slippery slope!”

“Shut uuuuup.” Beca said, rolling her eyes with a coy grin as the rest of the table erupted into laughter, her arm now lolling over the back of Chloe’s chair while the redhead placed her hand on Beca’s thigh and cosied up a little closer to her fiancee.

-

“Right. A toast!” Fat Amy exclaimed as she took hold of her Tequila shot and held it up. The adults around her took hold of their glasses just as a bottle of ‘Old Mercury Beer’ was placed in front of Beca and a massive smile spread over the brunette’s face.

“Old Mercury!!” she said in a surprised voice, turning to look at her fiancee. Beca’s heart soared as she saw that beautiful smile on Chloe’s face while she looked at her adoringly. Old Mercury was her favourite beer. So rare to come across here in the US, but Beca knew her fiancee had managed to find some to keep at their apartment. Chloe had obviously brought some to the bar and had asked Jason to keep it chilled until she arrived. How did she get so lucky to find someone so amazing?

“Well I figured as this was a special evening you should be allowed to celebrate with your favourite beer.” Chloe explained, having motioned to her parents and friends around the table before turning back to her fiancee, adoring the look on Beca’s face while the brunette shook her head gently in disbelief at her. 

“You’re incredible...” Beca said affectionately and Chloe winked at her.

“ _So_...” Fat Amy interrupted, making the couple jump and turn back to the rest of the table, their cheeks flushing slightly in embarrassment, “a toast to the two who we  _knew_  would eventually get their act together...” The Beale’s, Stacie, Aubrey, and CR all nodded in agreement, “...and we’re so happy that you finally did.” Beca and Chloe both glanced at one another, smiling affectionately at each other. Because it  _had_  been a long time coming. But they were finally doing it. They were finally going to get married. To continue their life together. “To Beca and Chloe.”

“To Beca and Chloe!” came the chorus of voices from around the table and the adults all brought their glasses to the centre of the table to clink them in celebration of a successful day of dress shopping. 

And as they all took sips from their respective drinks (Fat Amy throwing her Tequila shot straight back as though it were water), Beca cleared her throat, sharing another look with Chloe before taking a deep breath, “To the future Mrs & Mrs Beale!”

Sue, Jerry, Stacie, Aubrey, Fat Amy and CR all paused, smiles growing on their faces as Chloe bit her bottom lip and the two women nodded with beaming smiles.

“You’re going to be Beale’s??” came CR’s joyous voice, and giggles fell from both Beca & Chloe’s mouths as they confirmed that yes, Beca was going to take Chloe’s name.

And before they knew what was happening they’d risen to their feet to receive hugs from all their friends, before sharing a group hug with Mr & Mrs Beale.

“We feel so honoured, Beca!” Sue said as she held both Beca and Chloe tight, feeling her husband wrapping his arms around all three of them, and Beca closed her eyes as she felt the love and joy in this hug. This was her  _family_. The family she was going to marry into. And she felt certain that so long as she was a Beale, so long as she had Chloe and as an extension had Sue  & Jerry too, then she would never feel lost. She would never feel alone. She would always be loved.

-

The evening had gone as smoothly and wonderfully as hoped. Good food plus good company after such a long day made for a good time, and Chloe couldn’t help the smile that was still spread over her face while she looked at her fiancee over at the bar chatting animatedly to Jason and a couple of the other  _Rubix_  staff while they took it in turns to pet Alba who sat obediently at Beca’s feet.

The redhead watched as her father got up from the table and made his way over to join Beca, and Chloe’s heart warmed as she saw how much her father liked her fiancee. It meant the world to her. 

“If I could get the cheque Jason that’d be great.” Jerry said to the bar owner, but before the man could respond, Beca held a hand up.

“Jerry I’ll get this-”

“-Beca you always get the cheque. Let me get it just this once. Save that money to spend on Chloe.” Mr Beale said with a kind smile, “Or Alba!” and the man let out a chuckle as the white lab wagged her tail.

Beca sighed in defeat, shrugging, then nodding to Jason who had hesitated until a conclusion had been drawn. The petite brunette watched as her future father in law crouched down and chuckled again, Alba leaping up at him and licking his chin while he flapped her floppy ears joyfully. 

“Listen, Jerry..I’ve been thinking..” Beca began, her stomach twisting a little with nerves while Mr Beale stood up, looking at her seriously. Because as much as she felt comfortable talking to the man about anything, particularly when Chloe was involved, this particular topic was one that was often something they skirted around, despite their common interest in account keeping and finances, “I can’t tell you how much I’ve appreciated all that you and Sue have contributed financially to the upkeep of mine and Chloe’s apartment. Really.” She fiddled nervously with Alba’s dog lead in her hands while she looked up at Chloe’s father, “But I’ve been thinking...with my recent promotion I’m now earning way more money than I was before and...well I’m gonna be able to afford the cost of all of the rent now, not problem.” 

Jerry couldn’t help the kind smile that began to grow on his face. This was one of the many things he loved about his daughter’s fiancee. The woman was kind and thoughtful and took nothing for granted, particularly when it came to money. “We don’t mind contributing, Beca. You do so much for Chloe financially so she can live a simpler, happier life. The least we can do is help you both out.”

“I get that Jerry, really I do. And I’m not trying to stop you providing for your only daughter. Obviously if you want to give her money for...I dunno, whatever she wants to spend it on...then I’m totally fine with that! I just...” the brunette paused as she tried to find the right words to describe how she’d been feeling over the past few months since her promotion, “...I want to be able to provide more for my future wife, you know?”

And Jerry swore he’d never felt more pride for someone who wasn’t his own child than he did for the young woman stood before him right now. There was a lot to be said about Beca wanting to provide so much for his only daughter. His pride and joy. His little girl. A smile spread across Jerry Beale’s face and he nodded, “Alright.” he said quietly and his heart swelled when the petite brunette seemed to let out a sigh of relief. 

“Good. Great.” Beca said happily, beaming up at her future father in law. She loved Chloe so much and valued her fiancee’s father’s trust. Jerry agreeing to this request was a huge gesture towards her about how much he trusted her with his daughter. “Besides,” she added kindly, “you’ve got all those Grandkids to provide for and we’re only going to add to that tally one day so...”

And she grinned as Jerry threw his head back with a loud laugh, then nodded, “I suppose you’re right there Beca!” Jerry agreed.

They turned to Jason, just as the bar owner held out the cheque, and Beca raised her eyebrows at Mr Beale, “Last chance Jerry. Sure you don’t want me to get it?”

“Are you kidding?” Jerry began with a grin, “I’ve just found out I’ll be having an extra $900 in my account every month. The least I can do is get this!” and the man scooped his wallet out of his back pocket while Beca pulled her purse out of her own jacket pocket and gathered a wad of notes to provide the generous tips for all the staff at  _The Rubix Bar._


	46. Epilogue XXXI - Long Distance

Chloe slowly stirred, her eyes gently flickering open and she raised her hand up to her face with a deep sleepy inhale then sigh. Day eight. It was day eight of Beca being away in LA for work. Day eight of twelve. And it had felt like the longest time already. She missed her fiancée desperately.

The redhead turned to look at her phone which lay on her bedside table. 5.30am. A normal time for her to wake up when she was required to get an Uber into the city and continue her internship with Gloria Delgarno. Chloe was overjoyed that the woman seemed to like her and after a successful five months by her side, Chloe appeared to be thriving in her learning role. Gloria even told her on Wednesday that she could see the redhead taking over from her one day as one of Broadway’s leading choreographers, something that Chloe had immediately called Beca about.

Chloe sat up in bed and yawned, stretching gently. A light giggle rippled out of her mouth when she felt a tongue wind it’s way up to the back of her ear and lick her skin ferociously. The redhead brought her hands to her dog’s fluffy body and pushed her back.

“Alba sto-hop!” Chloe giggled, and the white Labrador sat back, wagging her tail while looking at the woman adoringly. Okay so she hadn’t exactly told Beca that she’d been letting Alba sleep at the bottom of the bed overnight while the brunette was away. But Chloe couldn’t see what the harm was in doing that. After all, Alba appeared to miss Beca as much as Chloe did.

The woman furrowed her brow and turned to her bedside table as her phone began ringing. She looked at the screen and was pleasantly surprised to see it was her fiancée calling. The redhead picked her phone up and answered it, a smile sweeping across her face the second she heard Beca’s voice.

“Oh, hey babe. I wasn’t sure if you’d be up yet as it’s Sunday.” Beca said in a tired voice, “I was just gonna leave you a voice message before I went to sleep so you had something to wake up to.”

Chloe shuffled back down into their bed, holding the phone to her ear as she smiled softly. Her fiancée had been telling her all week about how exhausting this project that she was working on at the moment was. She couldn’t wait to wrap her arms around her in four days time. Beca sounded like she could do with a cuddle.

“I’ve just woken up.” Chloe said in a sweet voice, rubbing her nose gently, then reaching over to her bedside table to slide her engagement ring onto her finger. The redhead let out a sleepy sigh, staring up at the ceiling while she held her phone to her ear, “I miss you” she said quietly, sadly.

“I miss you too babe,” Beca said equally quietly down the phone and Chloe’s heart yearned to be with her when she noted just how unhappy her fiancée sounded, “so much.”

Chloe smoothed her left hand through the soft fur of their dog, loving the way Alba adjusted her position so she rested her head on her owner’s tummy, “Alba’s missing you too.”

“Oh I’m missing her so muuuch!!” Beca said down the phone in an uncharacteristically winey voice. That was when Chloe’s stomach twisted. Because she hated it when Beca was upset. But this was the curse of the younger woman’s new position at Residual Heat. Beca was expected to travel over to LA from time to time to work at the label’s studios over there. This was now her third trip in two months, but the first time that she’d decided to stay away.

The first time away had been at the end of January, just after the mammoth yet successful wedding dress shopping day. Beca had been required to go to LA for five days, then had a couple of days off (in which she flew back to NY to spend the weekend with Chloe and Alba at the theatre where the redhead was interning at with Gloria) before having another five day stint in LA. It had been as though Beca was flying back home on the weekends. It had been exhausting for the brunette and heartbreaking for Chloe who had hated having to work while Beca had been home for thirty hours or so. The second time had been a few weeks after that, and this time Beca had had to attend a couple of meetings in LA over the first couple of days, had had a day off mid-week, then had spent three days after that in the studio in LA. And though both Beca & Chloe had missed each other during that time, they’d both agreed it had been better that Beca not use up so much time and energy flying home on her days off. So this time Beca was staying in LA, at an Air BnB apartment that the label was renting for her. And she was staying there for the duration of the time that she was required to be there, which happened to be twelve very long days.

Alba’s ears appeared to twitch at the sound of her other owner’s voice, and a small smile grew on Chloe’s face, “Alba heard that you know?” and her heart rose when she heard a small chuckle fall from Beca’s mouth.

“Really?”

Chloe loved the way her fiancée’s voice appeared to lighten slightly at the idea of their dog having heard her from down the phone. Chloe loved that they were able to cheer Beca up even from across the other side of the country.

“Yep. She’s here with me now. Hold on..” and Chloe put her phone on loudspeaker, “..you’re on loudspeaker babe.”

“Hey Alba!!” Beca said in a bright tone and Alba suddenly raised her head, her ears twitching as she cocked her head and looked curiously at the phone that Chloe now held out while Beca continued talking, “Albaaa!”

Chloe let out a light giggle, “She’s looking at the phone!” and Alba brought her nose to the device, sniffing it loudly, her ears still forward in curiosity.

A chuckle sounded from the phone again and Beca continued, “Are you looking after Mommy like we agreed?”

A loud snuff fell from the dog’s nose and a light “yap” sounded as Alba recognised the sound of her other owner and couldn’t quite work out why she couldn’t see her. Chloe let out a light giggle as their dog stood up on the mattress to inspect the phone. Beca’s chuckle rippled out of Chloe’s phone on loudspeaker and the redhead noticed the way Alba’s tail wagged in further recognition.

“Good,” Beca said down the phone, talking to their dog, “so long as you’re looking after Mommy then that’s all I ask buddy.”

Chloe’s heart warmed at Beca’s words, loving how affectionate her fiancée was. She was obviously missing being at home with them.

“The apartment feels weird without you Mama.” Chloe said sadly on behalf of Alba who had sat back down and was cocking her head at the phone in Chloe’s hand. “Alba will tell you that Mommy’s been pining away after you.”

She heard a heavy sigh fall from Beca’s mouth and her stomach churned. Chloe felt guilty. She hadn’t meant to make Beca feel extra unhappy. But she felt so unhappy too that it would be a lie for her to say that she didn’t miss her at all. Because Chloe missed Beca desperately.

The redhead lay in their bed, her left hand fingers whispering across the skin of her stomach as Beca’s would normally do whenever they woke up on a Sunday morning together. Chloe had been sleeping in one of Beca’s oversized t-shirts over the past eight nights. It no longer smelt of the brunette and it killed Chloe to realise just how quickly parts of Beca that made their apartment their home were slowly seeping away. The washing up was always done. The laundry loads were smaller. Chloe had eaten far healthier than she had done in years because Beca wasn’t there to suggest they just get takeout. She no longer woke up in the middle of the night because Beca was having some form of night-terror. She missed the feel of her fiancée’s arms around her when they spooned overnight, or when they first got into bed, or when they woke up in the morning. Their bedroom was the tidiest it had been in a long time. And their bathroom was pristine. But..this place was starting to feel less like home, because Beca wasn’t really there much any more.

“Why don’t we just move to LA?” Chloe asked slowly with a sigh, “You need to be there loads for work, and…I don’t know if I want to go this long apart from you so frequently.”

Chloe had been mulling over the idea since Beca had told her she had to go back over to LA again, this time for twelve days. Yeah they’d have to pack everything up here. Pack it all in and move across to the other side of the country. They’d have to make new friends. Chloe would have to find a new job or internship or something to keep herself occupied. But…it would mean she and Beca would be together properly again. Plus there was the bonus of almost year-long sunshine and warm weather which Chloe, who adored basking in the sun, saw as a total perk.

“Um..well yeah it’d mean we wouldn’t have to live apart for so long every month..” Chloe heard her fiancée say, but Beca’s tone was somewhat uncertain, “I just..you’re doing so well with this internship Chlo. What sort of woman would I be if I took you away from all your potential achievements?”

Chloe tapped the ‘loudspeaker’ button on her phone, and brought her phone back down to her ear, letting out a gentle sigh. Because she’d thought this all through too. “Beca, as cheesy as this sounds, the life that we’ve built together - our relationship – that’s my greatest achievement. It’s taken me years of patience, and love, and dedication. I could leave this internship with the drop of a hat and my world would still feel complete because I’d have you.” Chloe thought she heard her fiancée sniff down the phone but she didn’t pause to find out what might be wrong. Because she knew Beca got a little emotional when she was tired and Chloe was pouring her heart out to her. “God, Beca, you wouldn’t be taking away my potential achievements by allowing me to move us over to LA. You’d be helping me build on my greatest achievement. You’d be allowing me to build us a new home where we can make new memories as Mrs & Mrs Beale and our faithful pup Alba!”

Chloe paused, getting that now was probably a good time to let Beca process what she’d just told her. Chloe wanted this because she wanted Beca. Chloe wanted this because she loved Beca.

“Okay,” Beca said with a sigh and another sniff, and this time Chloe knew her fiancée had been crying, “I-I’ll have a chat with the boss tomorrow about relocating and how to go about it.”

Chloe smiled calmly, “Okay babe. And I’ll speak to Gloria tomorrow about it.”

“God, she’s gonna be devastated Chlo..” Beca said with a sniff but Chloe simply shrugged while her left hand now smoothed across Alba’s hair, the dog having settled back down, resting her head on Chloe’s stomach once again.

“She’ll live. She gets it. After all, she’s had to put up with my pining for days. She’ll be glad to see the back of me.” Chloe said and let out a light giggle.

“I doubt it. Her son told me only the other day how she sees you as another daughter.” Beca said kindly, and Chloe swallowed loudly.

“Oh God, well don’t make talking to her harder than it’s already going to be!!” Chloe said in a joking tone and Beca chuckled gently.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry.”

Chloe giggled. No matter how much they missed one another they were still able to laugh together. That was the beauty of knowing each other so well.

“For what it’s worth,” Beca added affectionately, “I always feel so proud whenever people talk to me about you.”

Chloe’s smile softened, “People talk about me?” She asked in a quiet tone.

“Yeah of course! I have a photo of you and Alba on my phone lock screen. Whenever people see it they ask me about the pretty girl and the dog.”

“They never say that!” Chloe said with a giggle.

“They do! And I correct them and say that the woman on my phone is beautiful and is actually my fiancée with our dog and it’s the best because then I get to talk about you for ages because people love hearing our story.”

“Our story..” Chloe echoed quietly, affectionately, her smile broadening.

The conversation fell quiet and Chloe stared at the photo of her and Beca on the dresser opposite their bed. Because their story was complex and yet so simple. Two women who met in college, fell in love but never found the bravery to tell one another, remained in love while they became the very best of friends, moved in together, lived together, then finally told one another how they felt and the rest was history. They’d been together ever since.

“I miss you.” Beca said with a quiet sigh, and Chloe turned in their bed, facing the side that was normally Beca’s, and stared the empty pillows beside her.

“I miss you too.” Chloe said softly, trying to be strong and ignore the aching in her heart.

“And I love you.” Beca said in a slightly bright voice and a soft smile washed over Chloe’s face. Because hearing Beca say that never got old.

“I love you too, babe.” Chloe said sweetly, running the thumb of her left hand along the bottom of her engagement ring.

Only four days until Beca was home. Only four days to go.


	47. Epilogue XXXII - The Surprise

Beca stood patiently at the arrivals gate at LAX, her heart racing a little in excitement and anticipation. It had been a long six days apart, but she was finally going to be reunited with Chloe. And this time for good. None of this ridiculous ‘Beca having to stay over in LA for several days while Chloe stayed in New York’. No, this was it. Today marked the day that they had officially relocated to LA!

Normally whenever Chloe arrived at LAX, Beca had a bunch of flowers ready for her but today all she had was one single yellow gerbera. Chloe’s favourite type of flower in her most favourite colour. Because today was a big day and the start of several very important surprises.

_“Okay, Beca, what the hell is going on with these bachelorette parties?” Beca furrowed her brow slightly as she heard Aubrey’s voice swinging clearly down the phone to her, “Because I’ve got several ideas for Chloe’s but Stacie has no idea what to do for yours.”_

_Beca wandered over to the huge glass doors that ran across the length of the lounge of the LA apartment that she was looking around on behalf of her record label, who had offered to buy an apartment with a set budget and have Beca rent it from them. The apartment that would become her and Chloe’s new home._

_“Uh..” she began, glancing over her shoulder at her fiancée who had just come out from one of the two back bedrooms into the large open-plan kitchen/lounge, that beautiful bright smile on her face as she returned to the kitchen to inspect the oven again. It was obvious just how happy Chloe was with the place that she so desperately wanted to make their new home. The one where they’d make so many new memories. Beca tugged the handle and stepped out onto the generous balcony, the LA sun warming her skin._

_“Well..I wasn’t going to have ANYONE throw me a bachelorette party,” Beca said in a low voice, trying not to draw Chloe’s attention to the conversation. Then she grinned when she heard Stacie’s voice pipe up in the background of Aubrey’s side of the call._

_“See!” Stacie said, “I told you!”_

_Beca sauntered up to the railing at the edge of the balcony, an amused smile on her face while she smoothed her fingertips absentminded across the metal railing, listening to the tiny bicker that her best friend’s were having from their side of the call._

_“Do you SERIOUSLY think Fat Amy would be okay with Beca NOT having a bachelorette party??” Aubrey said to her girlfriend, but Stacie was quick to interject._

_“What’s the point in me being Beca’s Best Woman if I don’t give her what she wants?” Stacie replied in a tone that made it sound like she was bored with this conversation already, “And what she wants is to NOT have a bachelorette party!”_

_Beca couldn’t help the small chuckle that slipped out of her mouth. So she’d kinda asked Stacie to be her right-hand woman for the wedding. The one who would make sure that she was at the right place at the right time. And above all things help to keep her calm. She hadn’t asked Amy, though Amy didn’t know that. What Amy didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her – as far as the Australian was concerned neither Beca nor Chloe had ‘Best Women’ for their wedding to keep things fair between all nine of their fellow Bellas. Fat Amy would make things stressful and unpredictable. Stacie was laid back and funny. Beca would have a far easier day with Stacie as her Best Woman that was for sure._

_“You can’t NOT throw her a bachelorette party!” Aubrey scolded._

_“Well what are you suggesting then? We have a JOINT bachelorette party?” Stacie retorted defensively, but there was a pause and Beca furrowed her brow as Stacie let out a gasp and exclaimed, “We have a JOINT bachelorette party!!”_

_“Yes!” said Aubrey, in a tone that suggested she believed it was a brilliant idea._

_“No!” Beca quickly dismissed, jumping as she felt her fiancée smooth a palm across the small of her back and the brunette turned to Chloe who had a curious look on her face. “Uh… guys I’ll have to call you back later.” And before Aubrey (and Stacie) could protest, Beca ended their call._

_Beca cleared her throat nervously, stuffing her phone into her back pocket and forcing a smile onto her face. She saw the way Chloe was looking at her with a suspicious grin, “Who was that?”_

_“Uh, just Aubrey and Stacie.” Beca said as she looked down at the metal railing she’d rested her hand on. Her other hand had been taken by her fiancée who had raised her eyebrows._

_“Oh really? What did they want?”_

_“Nothing…nothing just uh…asking some ‘Best Woman’ questions.” Beca said with a shrug, turning back to the redhead. But Chloe looked just as suspicious as before._

_“Asking you? The bride who hasn’t planned any of the wedding…”_

_It was true. As far as Chloe was aware all Beca had really organised was paying for the wedding. Chloe had been the one to pick everything out._

_“Yeeeeup!” Beca said less convincingly. If it hadn’t been for Aubrey and Stacie she wouldn’t have been able to pull off as much as she’d already planned for the wedding. There was certainly a perk to Stacie’s high profile and Aubrey’s ability to organise almost anything. And it was the ultimate perk that the two were in a relationship together._

_“Hmm..alright, well…I’ll definitely be calling Aubrey later to find out what it was about.”_

_And Beca shrugged again with a grin, “Fine by me.”_

_The two women looked at each other. Beca loved how relaxed Chloe looked. The LA sun suited her fiancée. The rays shone down on her bright skin highlighting the thick array of freckles that sat in clusters across her cheeks and nose. Beca swore she fell more and more in love with her each time she saw her. Which was tricky really, because Beca was already head of heels in love with her fiancée. With every single bit of her. And she couldn’t wait for them to start their new adventure together here in LA._

_“So you like the apartment?” The brunette asked softly and her smile broadened as she watched Chloe’s entire face light up with excitement._

_“I LOVE the apartment! It’s so beautiful!”_

_“I know you are..” Beca said smoothly, having now had plenty of months to perfect her quick lines that made Chloe blush without fail. And the redhead rolled her eyes with a small tut, her free hand cupping her own cheek in embarrassment, but her smile revealed how much she adored her fiancée’s cringey lines._

_“Reckon you could turn it into our home?” Beca asked._

_“So long as you and Alba are with me I could turn ANYWHERE into our home.” Chloe said sweetly, leaning her body into Beca’s. And Beca felt her heart skip a beat as they gently kissed._

A massive smile spread over Beca’s face when she saw the familiar red hair of her fiancée bouncing among the bodies of people spilling out into the arrivals area at LAX airport. She watched in delight as the woman scanned the faces before her, her expression lightening the second she spotted Beca. The brunette winced a tiny bit as she heard the woman she loved let out a little squeal, then a chuckle fell out of Beca’s mouth as she watched Chloe run as fast as she could towards her, her wheely suitcase following.

Beca let out a small “Oof” as her fiancée threw her arms around her neck and smashed her mouth onto hers, kissing her hard. The brunette smiled into the kiss, her arms wrapping around Chloe’s waist, holding her tight. Because yeah she hated PDA. But when it had been almost a week since they’d last seen each other Beca was going to relish every opportunity to kiss the woman.

“Hey!” Chloe said with an airy voice, her smile so bright that it lit up the large arrivals area. And Beca couldn’t help the huge grin on her own face as her eyes drank in every possible feature of her fiancée’s face. Features that she’d stared at a million times before and had already mapped out in her mind but ensured she did it all the same. Because she adored every last inch of the woman.

“Hey!” Beca said as she released Chloe’s body, then holding out the gerbera that she’d patiently held for a good couple of hours now. “For you.”

She noticed the way Chloe contorted her mouth, a sign that the redhead was touched by the gesture, and the woman took the flower with a small tut, “Becs, you didn’t have to…”

“I know. I wanted to.”

“Still, you don’t have to..”

Beca rolled her eyes and reached down to grab Chloe’s suitcase, “I know, but I wanted to.”

Beca took her fiancée’s hand and guided her between the crowds of people waiting for their respective family and friends to come into the arrivals area. A massive smile was wiped across both their faces, both over the moon to know that they were now reunited for good. To prevent Alba from being too worked up about the flight from New York to LA, Sue and Jerry Beale had offered to drive a removal van with some of Beca & Chloe’s items and their Labrador from Brooklyn to LA. As far as Chloe was aware, they would be arriving tomorrow.

The redhead furrowed her brow as Beca began leading her to another section of the airport instead of outside, as she had first assumed her fiancée would do. And the further they walked, the more confused Chloe became. Because there was no way Beca could be disorientated. She’d used this airport loads of times now. But for some reason she was leading her round to the check-in desks.

“Um Babe? Shouldn’t we be going out those doors back there?” Chloe asked slowly.

“Nope!” came Beca’s quick response as she continued walking surely towards the check-in area. Chloe remained confused, wondering what the hell was going on, but she didn’t need to Wonder for long because Beca came to a stop and turned to her fiancée with a grin. “We’re not going to our new home today.”

“Huh?” Chloe furrowed her brow, but Beca still grinned at her. Because Beca knew Chloe. And she knew Chloe was going to love this.

“We’re going to Hawaii.”

“Hawaii as in…where we’re getting married in three weeks time Hawaii??” Chloe asked, her heart beginning to race a little with excitement, her face softening, still somewhat confused.

“Hawaii as in where we’re getting married in five days time, Hawaii…” Beca corrected and she bit her bottom lip in delight as she watched Chloe’s entire face open up in delight.

“Oh my God, seriously??”

“Uhuh!”

“But…the date-“

“-was booked for this Friday, not in three Fridays time.”

“And the guests-“

“-are arriving from Thursday.”

“Alba-“

“-is flying out there with your Mom & Dad from LAX tomorrow.”

“And we-?”

“-are flying there right now. With The Bellas.”

“The-?” Chloe began, but her sentence was cut short by a huge cry of excitable squeals and shrieks and Chloe looked passed Beca’s grinning face to see their best friend’s darting over to them with plenty of suitcases, hand-luggage, and huge smiles. As Beca felt The Bellas envelope her and Chloe in a massive tight group hug, she couldn’t help the smile on her face, loving how happy her fiancée looked.

Because this was going to be the best week of their lives.


	48. Epilogue XXXIII - Pre-Wedding Gatherings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Bellas, The Beale's, and The Mitchell's arrive during Beca & Chloe's 'Wedding Week'...

The warm Hawaiian breeze drifted across a hammock that swung gently on the back decking of a beautiful plush suite at the classy beach-side hotel. And in that gently swinging hammock lay Chloe Beale, a soft smile on her face as she dozed peacefully, dressed in nothing but a white bikini. Her long red hair was loose and dry from the warm salty sea water that she’d been swimming in earlier that day. Her skin was tanned and sun kissed and covered in freckles. 

Laid lazily on top of her in the swinging hammock was her fiancée, Beca, also dressed in nothing but a black bikini. The brunette had the back of her head rested on Chloe’s stomach, her back resting along the older woman’s hips, her own hips and lower body nestled between Chloe’s legs. Beca’s left hand lay limp on her bare pale stomach while her right hand hung above her head, her fingers entwined loosely with Chloe’s left hand, Chloe’s right hand resting behind her own head.

The two women had arrived at the beautiful hotel three days ago with their best friends, having enjoyed catching up on the flight from LAX to Hawaii. Chloe had been stunned by the attention they’d received the moment they’d stepped foot into the reception area. All members of staff had lined the entrance to greet them warmly. And the  _actual_  manager of the establishment had shown each of them to their rooms.

_“This is literally the most incredible_ _,_ _most swankiest hotel I’ve ever stepped foot in.” Emily could be heard gushing at the back of the group of Bellas as they wandered down a long wooden walkway that led from the main hotel area to each ‘hut’ where the Bellas would be staying for the week. Chloe couldn’t believe it. She was here with her very best friends ready for what would be the most amazing and memorable week of her life. And it was all thanks to the woman whose hand she held right now._

_She squeezed Beca’s hand excitably, beaming at her fiancée while the brunette chuckled, looking back at her with a big grin, “I can’t believe you organised all this!” Chloe said brightly, motioning to the Hawaiian environment around them then to their best friends behind them._

_Beca simply shrugged, “You’re worth all of it_ _Chlo_ _.” and the younger woman’s cheeks flushed pink slightly when_ _Chloe bent over to her and kissed her firmly on the cheek while they walked. The Bellas behind them all let out loud giggly “woo!!”’s and wolf whistles, and Beca rolled her eyes, “Alright,_ _alriiiiight_ _!” she replied, looking over her shoulder at them_ _with a small smile, which only made the women giggle louder._

_The group paused at a circular piece of decking, with_ _five_ _platforms stemming from it leading to_ _five luxury ‘huts’_ _and a_ _sixth ‘platform’_ _continuing the walkway further on. The manager of the hotel turned to look at all of them, with keys in her hand. “Okay in this section is Aubrey?” Aubrey rose her hand, looking at Chloe with a confident smile, “Jessica?” Jessica_ _unlooped_ _her arm from Ashley’s and rose her hand, “_ _Florencia_ _?” Flo rose her hand, “Emily?” Emily rose her hand with a huge beaming smile, “And bride number one, Chloe.”_

_Chloe swallowed loudly, turning from the manager to her friends, then to Beca with a furrowed brow_ _, “Are we not sharing a hut?” she asked in a confused tone but her fiancée shrugged._

_“Aubrey insisted we had separate huts.”_ _Beca mumbled back to her, "And who am I to argue with Aubrey..."_

_Chloe turned to her oldest friend, but Aubrey rose her eyebrows, her smile wavering, “It’s bad luck to see the bride on the day of the wedding.”_

_“We’re not getting married for another five days Bree!_ _I want to be able to share a bed with my fiancée before then_ _! We've been_ _apart for_ _six days!”_ _Chloe cried out a little louder than she’d initially intended, but before Aubrey could respond Stacie stepped in front of the blonde, holding her hands out towards Chloe._

_“Chloe, it’s just for Thursday evening.” Stacie said calmly,_ _“You guys can share one of the huts until then. Either your one here or Beca’s one over there.”_ _a_ _nd_ _the tall brunette motioned to the next set of huts that lay further up, the next circular decking boasting_ _six ‘platforms’ leading to six luxury ‘huts’. Chloe followed her friends’ gazes up to the other huts. They were further away than she’d want them to be._ _But if it was only for Thursday night then she supposed she’d be okay with that…_

Beca stirred slightly in her dozy state on Chloe’s body, and the redhead smiled gently, opening her eyes to look down at her beautiful fiancée. Chloe brought her right hand down from behind her head, and ran her fingers gently through Beca’s long brown hair, pulling it back off her face, loving the sound of Beca’s soft hums. This kind of tranquility was what the couple lived for. Just the two of them and their dog.

Alba lay snoozing beneath the hammock and Chloe had her left leg hung over the side, her bare toes stroking through the Labrador’s soft fur, causing the hammock to swing gently from side to side. Chloe let out a happy sigh, closing her eyes again. Alba hadn’t left their side since she’d arrived with Chloe’s parents on Tuesday lunchtime, and had slept protectively at the bottom of Chloe’s bed with both of her owners on Tuesday and Wednesday night.

_Chloe let out a squeak of delight_ _as she immediately released Beca’s hand and darted down the wooden platforms that led from The Bellas huts to the main body of the hotel. “_ _Albieeeee_ _!” She called out_ _loudly_ _as she headed for her white Labrador who was bounding excitably towards her._ _Chloe crouched down then let out a loud “_ _oof_ _!” when Alba collided with her and knocked the woman backwards onto her butt. The dog’s tail wagged like crazy as she licked her_ _owner's_ _face excitably, and Chloe had no choice but to take the affection while laughing loudly._

_Jerry & Sue Beale joined shortly after the collision_ _,_ _with huge beaming smiles on their faces, loving the sound of their only daughter’s laughter._ _Beca quickly joined her fiancée, her smile as broad as Chloe’s, over the moon to be seeing their dog again, having personally been away from Alba for_ _a week._

_“_ _Wah_ _!” Beca yelped then chuckled as Alba realised her other owner was here too and lunged for her, also knocking the petite brunette ove_ _r before_ _proceed_ _ing_ _to lick her face while frantically wagging her tail._ _“Haha_ _alright dude, I know I know, I missed you too!”_

_Chloe stood up and brushed herself down, then threw herself into her parents arms. She closed her eyes and let out a happy sigh._ _She hadn’t seen them in weeks but it always topped the love in her heart up whenever she did._

_“Surprised Twinkle?” Jerry asked his daughter kindly as he and his wife unwrapped their arms from around Chloe’s body, and the young woman nodded her head with a sweet smile._

_“The most wonderful of surprises. I can’t believe I’m getting married on Friday!” Chloe exclaimed and her parents both smiled._

_“Only three days to go!” Sue said excitably, grabbing her daughter’s hands and squeezing them affectionately._

_Chloe let out a little squeak, bouncing from foot to foot for a moment, then looking over her mother’s shoulder curiously, “Are the boys here yet too or…?”_ _she asked, wondering where her older brothers were at._

_“They’ll be here_ _with the kids_ _tomorrow sweetheart,_ _and_ _with the girls_ _of course_ _, in time for your bachelorette par-“ Sue Beale began but she froze when she saw Beca behind Chloe waving her hands frantically, “-um…never mind!”_ _she added, and Chloe’s eyes lit up as she turned to look over her shoulder at her fiancée whose face had turned bright red. The brunette cleared her throat awkwardly, looking down at their dog._ _Chloe had been wondering if they’d be getting bachelorette parties or not, and it looked like they were…_

Beca let out a small groan, her mouth feeling dry while she lay in the hammock with Chloe. Hangovers were the worst and the older she got the heavier the hangover. She wasn’t cut out for drinking with The Bellas any more. Back in the day she could’ve easily sunk whatever had been handed her way, had a ‘tactical throw up’ in the middle of the night, and then woken up fairly okay the next morning. Nowadays she wasn’t so lucky. 

She brought her left hand to her forehead, picking up Chloe’s hand that had stilled on there, and let out a gentle whine, encouraging the redhead to continue running her fingers through her hair. Chloe let out a light giggle and continued the motion as Beca let out a relieved sigh, her eyes remaining closed the whole time. She didn’t have a headache any more, thank God. But she still felt exhausted. Not the best way to feel the day before her wedding, but she had nobody to blame but herself. And her best friends.

_The Bellas all sat around a large fire on the dark beach down the way from the hotel they were all staying at, and with them sat Chloe's mother and three sisters-in-law, as well as Beca's step-mother Sheila. All sixteen women had been together for a few hours now, having enjoyed a beautiful meal as part of Beca & Chloe's joint bachelorette party._

_Beca_ _had_ _insisted she HADN'T wanted anything embarrassing to happen to either herself or Chloe. And that meant that Aubrey and Stacie's biggest challenge hadn't been planning a joint bachelorette part_ _y_ _. No, they knew the brides-to-be very well. The challenge had been trying to keep any eye on Amy and make sure that she DIDN'T book a surprise stripper for Beca and/or Chloe._

_Aubrey had had to make three separate stripper cancellations, much to Amy’s aggravation_ _, and in_ _the end had assigned Lilly the task of using 'any means necessary' to ensure the Australian_ _didn’t book any more._

_Even_ _though a stripper WOULD have been embarrassing, Beca was fairly certain that had she hadn't_ _have_ _had as much alcohol as she'd had over the past few hours, then right now she would be VERY embarrassed. Because the women around her had decided to start a round of "When did you know that Beca & Chloe were going to end up together?"_

_“I think we figured out something was going on_ _three_ _Christmas’s ago,” Laura, Chloe’s youngest sister-in-law said with a light chuckle, taking a sip from the glass in her hand. Chloe’s other two sisters-in-law let our light chuckles of their own, grinning over at the youngest redhead from across the bonfire before them. Chloe smiled a little sheepishly but Beca simply furrowed her brow._

_“But we weren’t together_ _three_ _Christmas’s ago.”_

_“No but Chloe was so miserable during it until you called her.” Sue Beale added kindly, a tipsy grin on her face as she looked at her daughter affectionately, “She was bright as a button as soon as she’d spoken to you.”_

_“Mom, you thought Beca and I were dating three years ago??” Chloe managed to pipe up, her mouth open slightly in surprise, but Sue quickly shook her head._

_“Oh, no darling. I knew something was THERE – I’d seen it for years, ever since we first met Beca actually. But I didn’t think you were dating per say because I figured you would have asked if Beca could stay for Christmas. And you hadn’t.”_

_"Freshman year." Amy declared proudly_ _, interrupting the Beale family revelation_ _, and many of The Bellas_ _jumped at the sound of her voice, then_ _cried out with several boos, objecting to the Australian's words._

_"No way did you know in freshman year! None of us did!" CR said loudly, rolling her eyes with a shake of her head and a chuckle._

_"I did! I saw the way_ _Shortstack_ _looked at Red!" Amy slurred, nudging Beca and giving her a wink as though she'd been the only one to know their secret. But there hadn't been a secret. Because Beca didn't think she'd been looking at Chloe in any specific way other than perplexity as Chloe had been so forward and...weird back then._ _The brunette looked to her left, grinning at Chloe who was giggling merrily by her side, rocking slightly thanks to the amount of alcohol they’d all consumed so far that night._

_“_ _You definitely didn’t look at her in any special way back then, Beca_ _.”_ _Aubrey said with a light giggle on Chloe’s other side, grinning at the two brides-to-be, “Chloe was CRAZY about you_ _! Talked about you nonstop. It was REALLY irritating!”_

_Chloe playfully slapped her oldest friend with the back of her hand, pretending to be offended, but she wasn’t. Yeah she’d been absolutely besotted with Beca almost from the first moment they’d met, but she hadn’t talked about her nonstop…right?_ _The Bellas all laughed loudly, and the additional members of family chuckled happily, loving the small anecdotes of their loved ones._

_“And then she used to cry and cry and cry down the phone to me in your sophomore and junior and senior years because she was so in love with you and you didn’t feel the same way.” Aubrey slurred, and she took another sip of her cocktail before falling quiet, looking into the fire_ _, a smile still on her face despite the sad situation she’d just revealed._

_The women all fell silent, looking over at Chloe with sympathetic expressions. Chloe picked at the label on her beer bottle, a sad smile on her face. It had been a very long time since she’d thought about those days. None of it really mattered any more. She’d kinda won her own battle. She made it. She was now in a relationship with the woman she’d pined after for so long. Now able to kiss her and hug her and hold her hand and have sex with her and share a life with her. They were getting married in a couple of days time. She’d won._

_“_ _Chlo_ _,” came the soft sound of Beca’s voice, and the brunette reached out to gently place her hand on Chloe’s right arm, “I-I’m sorry. I swear I had no idea at the time that you-“_

_“-I know.” Chloe said softly with a sweet smile, looking up at her fiancée_ _, “_ _But we’re here now.”_

_The two women_ _held one another’s eye contact, smiling gently, content that even through those years of seemingly unrequited love, they were finally together. They were going to be married by the end of the week, surrounded by all the people they knew and loved. And they couldn’t be happier._

_“Hold on a minute.” Emily’s clear voice sounded out above the_ _crackle of the bonfire on the centre of the large circle and the crashing waves on the dark shore they were sat on, “You…you guys weren’t dating in college?”_

_Beca and Chloe joined their friends in furrowing their brows while they looked over at the youngest member of the group. Emily sat holding a martini glass in her hand, her cheeks flush from the heat of the fire and the alcohol she’d so far consumed. The girl looked confused as she looked at the Brides-to-be._

_“Wha-?_ _No.” Chloe said with a gentle shake of her head._

_“Where did you get that idea from?” Beca asked, an amused smile on her face, because it seemed an odd conclusion for Emily to have assumed back when they’d been at college. The young woman had joined the group when she had been a freshman and they had all been in their senior year. She hadn’t lived with them, yeah. But that didn’t mean that she hadn’t seen Beca and Chloe and the rest of The Bellas almost every day._

_“Well_ _,_ _you guys were always together, and you had that thing where you were able to communicate with_ _each other without talking, and…” Emily spoke with a tone of uncertainly, hesitating as she looked awkwardly from Beca to Chloe then back again, getting more flustered by the minute, “…_ _whenever Chloe was freaking out about something Beca was the only person who could calm her down_ _-“_

_“I just so happened to be home when she freaked out Legacy.” Beca tried to reason, not that she was sure why she felt as though she had to defend herself here. What Emily was saying was actually really nice._

_“_ _Aaactually_ _…” Stacie piped up, contorting her mouth slightly as she looked over at Beca, and the fifteen other women turned to the model, “…Chloe usually freaked WAY before you got home. It’s just none of us were ever able to calm her down so we always waited for you to get home instead.”_

_Beca raised her eyebrows in surprise, turning to her fiancée who had thrown her hand to her face in embarrassment._

_“And also…” Emily added, drawing the women’s attention back to her, and the youngster eyed Amy awkwardly, “…Fat Amy told me on like my first hood night that you two were dating.”_

_“Amy!!” Beca and Chloe both said in unison with equal disapprova_ _l at their friend’s bullying_ _, both turning to the Australian who simply put her hands up as if trying to defend herself._

_“Hey it’s not all my fault! For starters you two DID act like a couple through most of Senior year.”_

_“She was with Jesse in senior year, Amy..” Chloe offered with a light sigh but the blonde continued._

_“And secondly…these guys were all in on it too.”_

_Beca and Chloe looked around at their friends, all of whom were now looking awkwardly at the fire to avoid their gazes. All except for Emily, who looked over at Beca and Chloe with her big puppy-dog eyes. It didn’t matter how old they all got, she would always be the baby of the group._

_“Yeah they, um, kinda all told me you were both dating_ _? But_ _that you weren’t all that openly affectionate when you were in public.”_

_“And you believed them?” Chloe asked in an almost sympathetic voice._

_“Well yeah_ _._ _I feel a bit of an idiot now though.” Emily mumbled in embarrassment._

_“Never mind Legacy. It all turned out good in the end.” Beca said in an uncharacteristically bright voice, raising her beer bottle at the youngster with a smile before taking a swig of beer then entwining her fingers with her fiancée’s._

Chloe stirred as she felt Alba shuffle her position underneath her foot and just as the redhead slowly began drifting off to sleep again, she reawoke with a start, letting out a squeal of surprise as she felt her dog lick her toes. Her body jolted and as a consequence she woke Beca from her slumber.

“Shit! What happened?” Beca croaked, trying to sit up, but her position in the hammock made it impossible. Alba had now stood up and was wagging her tail while she looked up at her owners. And Chloe had let out a sigh, settling back down but using the hand that had been stroking Beca’s hair back to stroke Alba’s head instead.

“Heyyy.” Beca said, looking over at their dog with a furrowed brow while she rested her head back on her fiancée’s stomach, her eyes specifically on Chloe’s hand that was now running over the dog’s ears, “That’s  _my_  hand Alba! It’s supposed to fuss me, not you.”

A light giggle fell from Chloe’s mouth and a gentle smile brushed over Beca’s face. Because she was joking of course. Well, for the most part.

“Mama’s got to make the most of it, hasn’t she Alba.” Chloe cooed at their dog who appeared to wag her tail in response, “Because she’ll get far less attention when we have a baby in the house won’t she.”

Beca hesitated. Oh yeah, she’d forgotten about the drunken promise she’d made to her fiancée last night. That as soon as they got married they could start looking into how to go about starting a family. God, it was going to cost so much money trying conceive, then giving birth, then raising a child in LA, and the woman wasn’t overly sure if her current salary would cover the cost of their rent, their living costs, as well as adding to their savings (which had had a major bashing thanks to this upcoming wedding..)  _plus_  having a baby on top of that. But she knew Chloe well, and she knew that nothing would make the redhead happier than for them to raise a baby together.

“Speaking of parenthood,” Chloe continued, settling back into the hammock again, her hand finally resuming it’s original position in Beca’s hair, “I wonder how our Dad’s are getting on.”

Beca swallowed loudly, her eyes drifting closed again at Chloe’s soothing touch, ignoring the way their dog watched Chloe’s hand longingly. Beca’s Dad had arrived yesterday lunchtime with Sheila. They were the only two members of Beca’s family that had been invited to the wedding this weekend, despite Chloe’s attempt at asking the brunette if she was  _sure_ she didn’t want to invite anyone else. But Beca had been adamant: the Beale’s were her family. 

Both Beca and Chloe had been worried about the arrival of Cal Mitchell. Not because he was likely to ruin their wedding for them, after all Sheila  _had_  sent Chloe and Beca a long email assuring them that she would do everything within her power to make sure that he behaved himself. No, the couple had been worried because the last time Chloe’s father had mentioned anything about Cal, it had been in a more threatening tone. Jerry Beale hated Cal Mitchell for the irresponsible way he’d reacted to his daughter’s announcement of her relationship status with Chloe a couple of Christmas’s ago. The man couldn’t promise that he’d keep his fists to himself when he finally had the chance to meet Cal for the first time, and although Chloe knew her father would never fight her future father-in-law, she couldn’t be certain that her father and her brothers wouldn’t mess Mr Mitchell up a bit. They had all become as protective of Beca as they were of their little sister.

So Beca and Chloe had sheepishly loitered around the hotel lobby, awaiting the arrival of Beca’s father and step-mother when Jerry and Sue had appeared behind them, the parents having intended on greeting Chloe’s brothers who were also soon due to arrive at the venue with their respective little families. And that was when Jerry and Cal had first met…

_Beca and Chloe heard a man clearing his throat behind them and they both jumped as they turned from Jerry and Sue to see that Cal and Sheila had arrived._ _The Mitchell’s both looked tired_ _and looked down at Alba with caution as the dog uncharacteristically growled slightly. The Labrador stepped back a pace, her ears flattening, leaning gently against Beca’s leg from her position between her two owners._

_“Dad!” Beca said, still stunned that Chloe’s parents were going to officially meet for the first time so soon. Her heart was racing as she glanced at her fiancée, noting how nervous Chloe seemed. Beca couldn’t tell_ _though_ _whether it was because_ _both sets of parents were meeting for the first time or if it was because the last time Chloe had seen Beca’s Dad, the man had rudely accused her of using his daughter for money. “Uh, you made it!”_

_“Well we did call you when we left_ _h_ _ome. Our arrival can’t have come as a surprise, Beca.”_ _Cal tried to joke, but his nervous laugh was played to_ _unamused people before him._

_“_ _Right.” Beca responded awkwardly, already hating the dead air surrounding them. But for once she couldn’t depend on Chloe to keep_ _alive_ _whatever scrap of potential conversation_ _there was to be had_ _._ _So the brunette continued, desperately hoping her Dad wouldn’t screw the next few days up for her, “Well, uh, Dad, these are Chloe’s parents.” And Beca motioned to Sue and Jerry Beale._

_Sue had a polite smile on her face as she stepped up to Cal, her hand outstretched as she introduced herself kindly, and Beca recognised the awkward smile on her father’s face. “Just be polite Dad..” Beca begged in her head. Fortunately the man took Sue’s hand, shaking it while introducing himself. Then Sue quickly moved to give Sheila a warm hug, the two women having met a couple of times in the past and apparently had remained in touch._

_Beca and Chloe both watched their fathers with held breaths._ _Neither of them had seen such a serious expression on Jerry Beale’s face before. He was certainly taller than Cal, had broader shoulders and a slightly larger stomach. Beca must have got some of her petite figure from her father. Cal Mitchell cleared his throat as he leant forward toward_ _s_ _Jerry, holding his hand out awkwardly_ _, clearly intimidated by the larger man._

_“You must be Cal._ _” Jerry said in a serious tone, before reaching out and giving Mr Mitchell a firm hand shake. The greeting threw Beca completely off, having only ever seen Chloe’s father greet people with a broad smile and, usually, a large hug. And in a funny sort of way, Beca felt a little calmer about the coming days. If The Beale’s were going to protect her feelings (not that she’d really ever thought about having other people protect her feelings before meeting them) then everything was going to be okay. She was going to enjoy her wedding._

_“And you must be Jerry.” Cal said in an equally serious tone, “Good that we’re finally meeting.”_

_“Hmm.” Jerry responded._

_Beca and Chloe both looked from their fathers, to each other, to the two women who were watching the men with equal uncertainty. It was no secret that the men weren’t overly keen on one another, nor that they had been too worried about having to actually meet. They probably would’ve happily gone through life never meeting. But their respective daughter’s wedding was the exception it seemed._

_“Dad!” came a loud cheery bellow and the brides-to-be turned to look over at the hotel lobby doors as a gaggle of three small families crammed their way inside_ _, the father’s of whom all had bright beaming smiles on their faces, identical to that of Sue Beale and Chloe Beale._ _Michael, eldest of the Beale siblings, immediately left his suitcase by the door, striding over to his parents to give them each a hug in greeting, which Jerry was more than happy to drop Cal’s handshake for. Ryan and J_ _ohnny_ _, the other two Beale brothers_ _,_ _followed the eldest, giving their Dad then their Mom huge hugs, laughing while their parents gave them compliments about their health and appearance._

_Then a round of hugs for Mr & Mrs Beale came from their daughters-in-law: Claudia, Julie, and Laura. _ _Meanwhile, Beca had been surrounded by Michael, Ryan and Jo_ _hn_ _ny, all of whom had made a beeline for her and_ _high_ _-fived_ _her ‘hel_ _lo’_ _. That had become their thing, knowing full well the brunette wasn’t keen on hugs._ _And Beca couldn’t help the wide smile on her face as she greeted them._ _Because she really liked Chloe’s big brothers as though they were her own._

_Chloe, meanwhile, had received a greeting much like she’d received from Alba a couple of days before. This time, however, it was from her nephews and nieces. And the redhead let out a loud trickling giggle as the youngsters all tumbled against her, pushing her to the ground while they enveloped her in a massive group cuddle._ _“Auntie_ _Chloeeeee_ _!” They all cried out in delight, having always adored their favourite aunt._

_Beca let out a chuckle as she watched the bundle, her heart soaring as she remembered just how good her fiancée was with children, a smile on her face when she heard_ _little Jac_ _k -_ _the youngest nephew_ _and Beca’s low-key favourite of the kids -_ _ask Chloe in a sweet voice, “Auntie Chloe_ _, is_ _Auntie Beca_ _here_ _?”_ _But the smile on the petite brunette’s face quickly wavered when Chloe replied, “She’s right over there Jack-Jack.” And the eight kids’ faces lit up again as they gasped and caught sight of Beca nearby._

_Beca let out a bit of a yelp as they all dashed over to her and grabbed her legs and hands, silently demanding they hug her while they called out happily, “Auntie_ _Becaaaaaa_ _!”_ _and the petite brunette fell to the ground chuckling loudly while her face was planted by a million kisses from the affectionate Beale kids. She couldn’t believe she was soon going to officially be a part of this incredible family._

_Chloe had stood up to hug her big brothers and her sisters-in-law ‘hello’, and The Beale’s looked amused as they watched Beca still tangled up with the plethora of children. Alba had even got in on the bundle, wagging her tail excitably before licking Eva – Chloe’s eldest niece – ferociously on the cheek._

_“Alright, alright you lot, let Auntie Beca stand up for a minute.” Ryan said, scooping his_ _two sons up at their waists with a chuckle while the two boys let out loud rippling giggles. Eva had picked her youngest cousin, three year old Ellie, up and carried her back over to Ellie’s mother, La_ _ura. Johnny and Michael scooped up their respective sons, all of whom giggled loudly too_ _, a delightful sound that echoed off the walls of the airy hotel lobby._

_The visitors all came to a calm pause, then turned to look awkwardly at Beca’s father and step-mother._ _Beca stood up and dusted herself down, clearing her throat nervously, “Uh, Beale’s? These are my parents. My Dad, Cal, and my Step-M_ _other, Sheila.” She motioned towards the two Mitchell’s as though presenting them, then looking over at her father and his wife she motioned over to the family that all stood to her left_ _, pointing out each member_ _, “Uh, Dad? Sheila? These are The Beale’s. Michael, Hunter and Noah. Um, Jonny, Sammy, Ryan, Jack_ _and Oliver. Then there’s Chloe’s parents who you’ve already met._ _Theeen_ _Claudia, Eva, Laura, Julie, and obviously you know Chloe.” Beca had to pause to take a deep breath, having rattled through the family so quickly, and she calmed as she saw Chloe looking at her with an affectionate smile, “And finally, in Chloe’s arms, is Ellie. Youngest of the bunch.” And the Beale’s, along with Beca, let out light chuckles as three year old Ellie waved enthusiastically at The Mitchell’s with a big beaming smile on her face._

_Beca turned nervously back to her father and step-mother. To her relief she saw Shelia smiling kindly at them all, being sure to give a little wave back to Ellie who had suddenly become shy following the interaction with the stranger and nuzzled into her Auntie Chloe’s neck to shy away. Beca’s father on the other hand had_ _a less than cheery smile on his face. It was a forced one. But a smile was a smile any way, and Beca figured it would be better than nothing._

_The Beale’s of course all smiled politely, waving and nodding and saying “Hello”_ _,_ _and before long all the new visitors began checking in with a friendly hotel employee._ _Chloe and Beca stood to one side, the brunette with her left hand stuffed in her fiancée’s pants back-pocket, Alba sat obediently ON their feet. And all three watched their families try to organise themselves nearby._

_“Hey, boys, I hear there’s a fantastic golf course in the grounds somewhere!” Jerry Beale was heard calling out noticeably. Chloe furrowed her brow as she watched her brothers’ faces light up. The men all began eagerly discussing when they might have time to try the course out. But the reason why Chloe was so confused was because neither her father nor her brothers had EVER shown an interest in playing golf before._ _Why now?_

_“Oh Cal loves playing golf!” Shelia piped up, and Chloe noticed the way_ _Beca’s father’s face softened slightly. Huh, perhaps this could be a way for the two fathers to connect beyond the fact that their only daughters were marrying one another_ _this coming Friday._

_“Well perhaps you’d fancy a round later, Cal?” Jerry suggested with a broad smile on his face, “Make the most of it while we’re here.”_

_“Yes that sounds like a good idea.” Beca’s father agreed, “Uh, Beca_ _?_ _Shelia and I will make our way to our room…”_

_“Yeah, great,” Beca said, a small smile on her face, clearly pleased that her father and Chloe’s father were showing signs of potentially getting along, “Um, we’re all going to be having dinner out on the restaurant dining deck at 1pm if you want to join us?”_

_Cal cleared his throat, looking briefly at Sheila who was already nodding her head with a large smile, and he looked back at his daughter, “Uh, yes. Yes we’ll be there.”_

_“Then we’ll have that round of golf, eh Cal?” Jerry said merrily to the man, giving him a thumbs up, and Mr Mitchell simply nodded with a fixed smile._

_“Uh, yes. Sounds like a good idea Jerry.”_

_And with that, Cal and Sheila Mitchell followed a member of staff out of the lobby to find their hotel room. Chloe waited until Beca’s parents were out of sight before she strode over to her father and tugged his arm that was still held out with the ‘thumbs up’ he’d given Mr Mitchell._

_“Daddy what the heck are you up to?” Chloe whispered in a low voice, her expression now a suspicious one. And her father rose his eyebrows with a shrug._

_“What makes you think I’m up to something?” the man tried to say innocently but Chloe knew her father, and so she raised her eyebrows back at him, folding her arms._

_“You’ve NEVER played golf before…” she accused and Jerry Beale opened his mouth as if offended._

_“I HAVE played golf_ _before_ _thank you very much!”_

_“Since when??” Chloe asked in a louder tone and she watched as her father cleared his throat awkwardly then looked down at his feet._

_“Uhh…since six weeks ago...”_

_“_ _Riiight_ _?” Chloe was almost MORE suspicious now, and the young redhead squinted her eyes at her father waiting for him to expand on his information._

_“When your mother told me that Sheila had told her that Cal was a keen golfer.”_ _Jerry added sheepishly._

_Chloe didn’t reply right away. Instead she stood, inspecting her father’s facial expression, wondering what he was up to. Because the last she knew her father hated Cal Mitchell. What had changed his tune all of a sudden?_

_She noticed the way her brothers had left the luggage and had slowly wandered over to join the conversation, big grins on their faces. And Chloe froze. She knew those grins. And she knew what th_ _ose grins_ _meant._

_“Oh my God, you’re gonna prank him!”_

_“Not PRANK him, Twinkle…” Jerry said firmly, holding his finger up in defence, “…just…make him pay a little for how terribly he treated you and Beca.”_

_Chloe’s mouth dropped open. Just as her mother’s mouth and her sisters-in-laws’ mouths did too. And the five women cried in unison, “What?!”. But the men turned innocently to their respective wives to try to justify why._

_“Oh come on the man’s a total_ _douschebag_ _!” Johnny exclaimed._

_“Were you even_ _IN_ _the same room as us when you heard what he’d said to Beca?”_ _Ryan added._

_“And how shit he made Chloe feel?”_ _Michael pointed out._

_“We can’t stand by and let him get away with it_ _, Sue!” Jerry tried to explain to his wife._

_“_ _And he_ _can’t treat Beca like that_ _._ _” Johnny cried._

_“She’s_ _like a sister to us and we have to protect her as much as Chloe now!”_ _Michael finished._

_Beca and Chloe both stared at the other Beale’s, touched by the men’s protective nature. Beca in particular, having never really had anyone other than Chloe to fiercely protect her before now._ _Sue Beale, however, was not happy with her husband and son_ _s’_ _decision to ‘get back’ at Cal Mitchell, and the men could sense her disapproval._ _The eldest woman stepped up to Jerry, her arms folded and her eyebrows raised, a stern expression on her face, “Jeremy Beale,_ _you will NOT bully anyone during_ _your ONLY daughter’s wedding week_ _, do you understand?”_

_Jerry’s expression dropped as he tried to defend himself, looking down at his wife innocently, “We weren’t going to bully_ _the man_ _! We were_ _…_ _just going to make him feel a bit bad!”_

_“How? By beating him at golf??” Chloe asked in confusion. She’d witnessed first hand the way her brothers and father had driven away her first couple of boyfriends._ _This wasn’t exactly in their repertoire of ‘ways to make a guy feel uncomfortable enough that he’d want to run away’.._

_But Jerry, Michael, Ryan, and Johnny all turned to the younger redhead and raised their eyebrows identically with innocent shrugs, “Yes!!”_

“Your Dad’s plan has probably worked and he’s probably beaten my Dad at golf putting  _my_ Dad in a foul mood in time for our wedding tomorrow.” Beca mumbled honestly while a light warm breeze drifted across her smiling face.

“That’s what I’m worried about..” Chloe mumbled thoughtfully as she felt Alba lay down underneath her foot once again, making do with  _that_  being the form of attention she was going to get from the redhead.

“It’s okay babe,” Beca said with a drowsy sigh, bringing her hand up to grab Chloe’s hand that had still been running through her hair, “he can get as moody as he wants, but it still won’t ruin our wedding day.” 

A broad smile grew on Chloe’s face as Beca tugged her hand from her forehead down to her face and placed a kiss on her palm. She had to admit, ever since they’d arrived in Hawaii Beca had become  _very_  affectionate. And Chloe loved it.


	49. Epilogue XXXIV - The Night Before pt 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Set Thursday 19th April 2018] - Beca arranges something for Chloe the night before their wedding

Beca stood in a light airy blue jumpsuit, pacing anxiously, looking over at the two members of hotel staff that would be helping her tonight. She glanced at the ocean behind her, noting the sun’s height, “Come on Chloe…” she muttered under her breath. She’d spent several weeks planning this specific part of their wedding week here. She’d chatted to the hotel manager and wedding co-ordinators. She’d had  _Aubrey_  arranging things with the hotel manager and wedding co-ordinators. Everything was in place. All she needed now was Chloe.

Chloe slowly made her way down a nicely lit wooden walkway and she could hear the ocean up ahead of her, though she figured it was currently hidden behind the beach mound that she was walking past. Her heart was racing with curiosity. She had no idea what was going on. She was just doing as Aubrey had instructed. Follow the walkway until she got to the beach.

_“I need you to wait here a few minutes.” Beca had said, placing several quick kisses on Chloe’s cheek_ _before making her way out of Chloe’s private hut. And Chloe had asked her fiancée where she was going, but Beca had merely smiled over her shoulder at her and had said to just be patient. That had been seven minutes ago though, and Chloe was getting rather restless._

_It was now early evening in Hawaii, the night before their wedding, and the two women had had a very lazy_ _day snoozing in the large hammock that swung on the decked area at the back of Chloe’s hut. Beca had been staying with her overnight in that hut, but tonight they would have to be separated, Beca spending the night in her own hut for once. Both were rather reluctant to do it, but Aubrey had insisted._ _Chloe looked up at the door as a firm knock sounded and Alba immediately rose to her feet, walking from her owner’s side up to the door to greet the person on the other side. “Come in!” Chloe called out and she watched as her oldest friend, Aubrey, snuck into the room with a bright smile._

_“Hey_ _Albaaa_ _!” the blonde greeted the dog who was wagging her tail enthusiastically at the visitor. But Chloe was confused. She’d hoped Beca would be back by now. But her friend straightened her posture and let out a sigh that Chloe recognised as the sigh she used when she had a lot on her mind._

_“What’s going on Bree?” Chloe asked curiously, her hands on her hips, having recently slung a light long skirt on around her waist._

_“You’re gonna need to get dressed.” Aubrey said with raised eyebrows, looking Chloe up and down._

_“Wh- I am dressed.”_

_“Okay well, you need to get dressed into something nice then.”_ _Aubrey corrected, wandering over to the wardrobe area where she knew Chloe’s clothes were all hung. And the redhead just followed her friend with her eyes._

_“Uh…any particular reason why?”_

_Aubrey looked in the wardrobe,_ _scraping the hangers_ _across_ _, trying to pick out something that would be perfect_ _for Chloe to wear this evening, “_ _Becaaause_ _…” she began, pulling out a couple of hangers then moving over to lay the outfit options out on the bed, “Beca’s organised for the two of you to have dinner together tonight.”_

_A broad smile grew on Chloe’s face as she watched her friend turn to look at her with an excited grin, “She has??”_

_“Yep,” Aubrey confirmed with a nod, “and I’ve been instructed to make sure you’re dressed, ready, and at the arranged place by 6.30pm”_

_“6.30?!” Chloe exclaimed, immediately looking around her room for a clock or her phone, but she realised it was still outside in the hammock, “But that’s, like, an hour away!”_

_“Exactly! Which is why I’m here now.” Aubrey said kindly, walking over to her best friend and taking hold of her arms, “Beca’s been working really hard on making sure all the surprises she has in store for you are perfect, Chloe. The next thirty hours are going to be perfect.”_

_Chloe took a deep shaky breath, and her smile softened as she looked at her oldest friend. Aubrey would never let anything bad happen to her or Beca this week. Or ever come to think of it. And if she knew the blonde well then she knew Aubrey would’ve had some hand in helping Beca organise things. So she felt happy with the idea that some of her wedding day might be out of her control._

Chloe slowed to a stop, her breath catching in her throat as she reached the end of the walkway, having turned the corner and was now facing the ocean. But more specifically she was facing a small table underneath a small wooden gazebo that Chloe hadn't noticed when they'd been down to the ocean that morning. On that table lay a couple of bottles of something, a couple of yellow plastic cups, and a couple of plates with some cutlery. And stood between her and this table, was her fiancée.

The redhead couldn't help the massive beaming smile on her face as she slowly approached Beca, tears already threatening to fall from her eyes. Because this  _was_  a big surprise. And the first of many? Was that what Aubrey had really said?

Beca was stood, stunned by Chloe's appearance. Her beautiful long red hair had been styled into natural curls that caught in the light sea breeze and drifted, causing Beca to become somewhat mesmerized.  A soft smile washed over her face as Chloe slowly began walking towards her, an affectionate smile on her own freckled face. Beca noted the way her fiancee was wearing the airy white dress that the brunette adored on her.  The one that fell off the shoulders to reveal the beautiful patches of freckles on top of each shoulder.  And Beca could feel her heart racing as Chloe came to a stop before her, slipping her feet out of her sandals and letting them sink into the soft sand of the white beach. 

"You look beautiful." Beca managed to muster, which elicited a small giggle from Chloe's mouth, the woman's eyes clearly admiring how good Beca looked in the blue jumpsuit.

"And  _you_  look more beautifuller." Chloe replied, looking back up into Beca's eyes.

Beca rose her eyebrows, "More beautifuller?" She said with a chuckle, "Is that grammatically correct?"

But Chloe simply giggled a little harder then nodded, "It is now!"

Beca chuckled again, then took Chloe's hand and led her past the gazebo. Chloe furrowed her brow for a moment as she watched it while they passed, "Um...aren't we sitting there this evening or-?"

"Yeah but," Beca began as she slowly led Chloe down to the ocean-side, "I thought we'd watch the sun set first."

Chloe bit her bottom lip as they approached the tide, keeping a tight hold of her fiancee's hand while their fingers remained entwined. She hadn't ever put Beca down as a romantic person back in college. In fact she hadn't really put her down as a romantic person when they'd been dating. But after experiencing Beca's proposal, and the woman's use of a 'flash-band', Chloe knew Beca's ability to be romantic was possible. And that when she was romantic, Beca ensured she planned it well before the actual event. This was another example of Beca's organisation. Because as they came to a stop, and their feet sunk into the wet sand while the tide gently washed over their skin and the sand around them, Chloe looked out over the skyline and saw on the horizon the sun. And more specifically the setting sun. Beca must have timed this to the minute.

"Years ago, back when I was a teenager," Beca began, looking out at the sunset with Chloe, "I used to get annoyed when people would tell me that one day I'd fall in love and get married and have children. That stuff just never seemed possible because my parents split up and I had a pretty crappy childhood." A small smile grew on Chloe's face, a sense of calm washing over her body as she noticed out of the corner of her eye that her fiancee was now looking at her. "At the time I couldn't even imagine finding someone who I'd want to share my adult life with. Not least of all marry and bring children into the world with. Life was bad enough, you know?" Chloe still remained her focus on the sunset, knowing Beca well enough to know that the intensity of eye-contact might cause the brunette to lose her flow of conversation, so she remained quiet while Beca continued, "But then I met you and everything changed. And I just wanted to take this time - this moment of peace and tranquillity, while the sun sets on the final day of my 'single' life – to tell you just how much I love you and respect you and how lucky I feel that as of tomorrow I will officially no longer be tackling this whole life-thing alone. That I'll be by your side and you'll be by mine and I'll be married to you but I'll also be unafraid. Because I know that so long as I'm with you, this life we'll have together is going to be pretty awesome."

Chloe couldn't help the smile that grew on her face as she turned to look from the setting sun over to her best friend. Her fiancee. The woman who, this time tomorrow, would be her wife. And she would be  _her_  wife. And they would be surrounded by people they love. People who accepted them as individuals and as a couple. And Chloe couldn't wait.

"And our kids are going have the most amazing childhood ever. Because they'll have the most amazing Mom ever." Beca added with an affectionate smile.

"Moms." Chloe corrected firmly, and Beca simply nodded gently.

The two women turned to look out as the last of the sun slipped beneath the skyline turning the sky brilliant shades of pinks and oranges and purples and blues that reflected beautifully on the ocean's waves before them. 

Ten minutes later, Beca and Chloe slowly made their way back over to the gazebo while it was still light enough to just see their feet in the soft sand. Chloe looked up ahead and noticed two members of the hotel staff were now waiting patiently by the gazebo, presumably ready for Beca and Chloe to take a seat either side of the small table. Beca stepped quickly towards one of the chairs, holding it out for Chloe, and the redhead bit her bottom lip, trying to contain the small squeal that she so desperately wanted to let out because the brunette was being  _so_  chivalrous. 

Once Beca had taken the seat opposite Chloe, she let out a small sigh of relief. Well that certainly wasn't  _too_ terrible or embarrassing. But she looked up to see that Chloe was now furrowing her brow as she looked down at the items on the surface before them.

"I got my ticket for the long way round." Beca began singing tentatively, reaching out and pointing at the two small bottles of whiskey, "Two bottles of whiskey for the way." Her heart skipped a beat as she saw Chloe look up at her with a massive grin, "And I sure would like some sweet company." Beca continued singing quietly, letting out a content sigh before singing the final line, "So I'm leaving tomorrow, what dya say?"

"Yes." Chloe whispered softly and Beca rose her eyebrows teasingly taking a deep intake of breath through her nose.

"Sorry Beale, the next line was ' _When I'm gone'_  , but never mind. We'll make a lyricist out of you yet."

Chloe let out a loud wonderful giggle, squeezing her eyes shut and scrunching her nose up as she threw herself back in her chair. Beca grinned. Because she  _loved_  it when she made Chloe laugh like this. And she would happily make her laugh like this forever.


	50. Epilogue XXXV - The Night Before pt.2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Set overnight between Thursday 19th April 2018 and Friday 20th April 2018] - Chloe gets a visitor...

Chloe lay restlessly in the bed of her hut. There was the gentle crashing of waves that could be heard from the nearby beach. But it didn’t matter. She still couldn't sleep. She'd had the most perfect evening, having been spoilt to a beautiful meal by Beca on the beach underneath a gazebo that turned out had been built by the hotel's handyman particularly for that moment, under Beca (and Aubrey)'s instruction. 

The redhead let out a sigh, her hands reaching out and drifting through the soft fur of her dog's white coat. Alba currently slept where Beca  _had_  been sleeping over the past few days. But Beca wasn't sleeping there now. The two women were under strict orders by Aubrey (and kinda by Stacie) that neither of them were allowed to share a room the night before their wedding. And Chloe could understand why this was an order. But it still didn't make sleeping alone any easier.

Suddenly Chloe jumped when she heard a light knock on the wooden door of her hut. Both she and Alba sat up, and the woman furrowed her brow when the knocking stopped. She looked down at Alba as the dog leapt off the bed, then patted over to the door, taking a big sniff underneath it. A small smile grew on Chloe's face when the labrador's tail began wagging ferociously, and Chloe knew exactly what that meant. It meant Beca had snuck over to see her.

Chloe let out a light giggle as she crept over to the door and unlocked it while Alba pined slightly, her tail still wagging. The redhead opened the door enough for Beca to slip through, and the petite woman let out a quiet yelp as her dog's tail accidentally hit her it was wagging so hard. "Hey buddy, I know, I know..." Beca whispered to Alba, accepting the ferocious licks the dog applied to her bare legs.

"Beca, what are you doing here?" Chloe whispered, a huge smile on her face as she looked at her fiancee.

Beca looked back at her apologetically, "I couldn't sleep." She whispered nervously, looking up from Alba and for a moment Chloe wondered if Beca was about to cry. The brunette scrunched her face up awkwardly, "Let's just elope! Let's...let's just get the soonest flight over to Vegas and get married there, just the three of us-"

"The three of us?" Chloe whispered with a slightly concerned expression.

"Yeah, you, me, and Alba. We'll just take off and get married there. Get it over with."

"Beca," Chloe began, taking hold of her fiancee's hands, noticing the look on the woman's face. That was the expression Beca wore when she was nervous. Chloe felt nervous too, but not enough to want to run away. At least Beca wasn't suggesting running away from  _her_. "You  _do_  remember that I suggested we do that in the first place."

Beca took a deep breath. Her stupid anxiety had started playing up a lot recently the closer they'd got to their wedding day. And it wasn't because she was nervous about spending the day with Chloe and being able to say "I do" in front of all their friends and The Beale's. Beca was terrified that her Dad would ruin the whole day. And potentially Chloe's grandmother too...

"Everything's going to be okay. Tomorrow will be perfect no matter what happens." Chloe whispered, squeezing her fiancee's hands assuringly, "And do you know how I know?"

Beca swallowed loudly, shaking her head gently, her eyes drifting down to Chloe's lips, then back up into her bright blue eyes.

"Because it's going to be  _our_  day. We're going to be together. Aubrey and Stacie will ensure that everything runs smoothly and to time.  _Nothing_  is going to ruin it."

"Not even Amy yelling something inappropriate out in the middle of the ceremony?" Beca mumbled in a worried tone, and Chloe let out a soft chuckle.

"We didn't end up having strippers at our bachelorette party huh?" Chloe replied gently and this seemed to be something Beca hadn't considered. Chloe was right, they  _hadn't_  had strippers in the end thank God.

"I can't imagine Aubrey will let Amy get away with saying anything inappropriate tomorrow." Chloe confirmed, giving Beca a wink and a gentle smile, and Beca let out a heavy breath.

"Yeah. No. You're right...i-it'll be fine."

"It'll be  _great_ , just you wait." Chloe replied affectionately, nudging the tip of Beca's nose with her own and she felt Beca tugging her body up against hers. They shared a soft kiss. One that broke as soon as Alba squidged her way between them to lay on their feet and the two women let out gentle giggles as they looked down at their dog.

"You're gonna have to go back to your hut sweetheart, just in case Aubrey's strict enough that she's got the girls on a 'night round' to check we're still in separate rooms." Chloe said sweetly, looking at her fiancee with a soft smile. Beca's smile had dropped and she let out a sigh while she rolled her eyes.

"I wouldn't put it past her." She said quietly, then gave Chloe one last kiss, before stepping back from her and wandering back to the door. Alba had quickly stood up and had followed her other owner, much to Beca's amusement. The brunette crouched down to look at her dog, "You take care of Mommy for me, yeah?" and Beca let out a light chuckle as Alba licked her face, "I'll take that as an 'Okay Mama'."

Chloe looked down at her fiancee affectionately, a soft smile on her face as she watched Beca stand up with a grin, "I'll see you tomorrow, Miss Beale."

"Not if I see you first, Miss Mitchell." Chloe quietly replied, giving Beca one last wink before watching her fiancee leave the hut. And the redhead let out a heavy sigh as the door closed again. She missed her already.

Only nine hours to go.


	51. Epilogue XXXVI - The Minutes Before...

The morning sunlight delicately highlighted the pure white Hawaiian beach on Beca and Chloe's wedding day. The waves could be heard swishing onto the beach and a light breeze drifted through into the small private canopy that Beca had been busy getting ready in over the past couple of hours. The Bellas had been busy darting from her private canopy to Chloe's private canopy, both being situated either side of the meeting point between, where the ceremony would be taking place. Chatter could be heard from outside the canopy as guests could be heard finding their seats, all sounding happy and in good spirits. 

Beca let out a huge heavy sigh, her hands stiff by her sides as she stood alone and stared at her reflection in the mirror. Kudos to Stacie for picking this outfit out. Sure, a black jumpsuit wasn’t exactly  _conventional,_  but this wedding wasn’t exactly what their guests would consider conventional either. For starters, it was in  _Hawaii_. And for another thing it was, as Chloe’s Uncles had so fondly dubbed it, “everyone’s first gay wedding”. No pressure…

The petite woman turned on the spot slightly to inspect her appearance side-on. She was pleased with the length of her outfit, her eyes drifting down to her bare feet that had been meticulously pedicured two days ago by one of the hotel’s ‘spa staff’. The cut was just long enough to look glamorous but not so long that she’d end up tripping over and embarrassing herself on her wedding day. She just hoped Chloe liked it. 

Her eyes drew their way back up to her hair. The hotel had offered the use of their in-house hair stylist, and Beca had insisted that she didn't trust anyone except Cynthia-Rose to do her hair, a duty that her friend had been all too honored to undertake. Beca now stood before the mirror, a small lock of her hair on the left was plaited back to join a plaited lock of her right and were both tied together with a tiny hair-tie at the back of her head. The remainder of her long brown hair was styled in loose flowing waves, and Beca had to admit it was the best her hair had ever looked as it cascaded down her back. 

Her eyes suddenly snapped up to the 'door' of the canopy as it opened and Beca smiled softly while Jerry and Sue Beale both stepped inside. Jerry donned a cool-looking white open-necked shirt and pale grey pants while Sue wore a beautiful lilac dress and a large lilac hat to keep the sun off her face. They both had beaming smiles on their faces as they stopped before her, knowing full well that Beca had never been one for showing much physical affection. But to their surprise, the brunette stepped forward and gave both of them a tight hug. Because to Beca, these two people were among two of the most important people in her life now. They had been more like parents to her over the past few years that she'd really known them than her own parents had ever been. And she couldn’t be more grateful for their love and kindness.

"Well now," Sue said softly to the young woman as she pulled out of Beca's hug, clearing her throat, tears brimming in her eyes, "don’t you look beautiful."

Beca couldn't help the light chuckle that fell out of her mouth as she looked up at Chloe's parents. She'd never seen her parents ever look at her proudly before, but if they would've done then she imagined they would've probably looked at her the way Mr & Mrs Beale were looking at her now. 

"You scrub up good, kiddo." Jerry said, having to clear his own throat, his eyes shining down at Beca.

"Thanks." Beca managed to muster in a quiet voice, looking past them at the closed 'door' of the canopy, knowing full well that several meters away from her stood her future wife. The woman she was about to marry. She let out a nervous sigh, "How's Chloe doing? Is she okay?" 

The Beale's both smiled kindly at their future daughter-in-law, "She's great." Sue said, "Excited." and Beca grinned, because she could imagine just how excited Chloe would undoubtedly be getting right now. Chloe loved her family and being around her family. And being able to share such an important day with all of them - being able to declare her love for Beca – well the brunette imagined Chloe was buzzing by now. She couldn't wait to see her. "Your Dad's with her as we speak."

Beca's smile immediately dropped and her heart began thudding hard against her chest, "Wh-what?" Panic suddenly set in. Oh God, this was it. He was going to ruin the wedding. He was probably going to say something horrible and rude, completely upset Chloe, and give the redhead every reason to no longer want to marry her any more. But before Beca could move towards the doors, Jerry Beale placed his comforting hands on her shoulders, immediately drawing her attention to his kind blue eyes.

"Beca, it's okay. We spoke to him yesterday."

"No, you don't understand," Beca began, fear washing over her body as she looked up at her fiancee's father desperately, "he  _hates_  Chloe. And he hates that he has to be here to walk his daughter down the aisle to marry another woman. He hates all of thi-"

"-He's at peace with it all sweetheart." Sue interrupted Beca calmly, reaching out to take Beca's hand, and the brunette hesitated as she looked to the older woman.

"He is?" Beca asked cautiously, and Mr & Mrs Beale both looked at her with soft smiles as they nodded.

"We went to dinner with him and Sheila last night, just the four of us. We spoke about... _everything_! Our own different childhoods. Yours and Chloe's different upbringings. We spoke about our earliest memories of you. Your Dad and Shelia spoke about their earliest memories of Chloe. We spoke about you and Chloe. About your friendship, your relationship, your future." Jerry paused, a twinkle in his eye, and Beca couldn't help the way her mouth had dropped open in shock. Had The Beale's  _really_  managed to change her father's attitude to this whole situation?!

"By the time we met with your Dad and Sheila for breakfast this morning, he had become completely taken with the idea that you and Chloe would be getting married today. And that you'd be spending the rest of your lives happily together." Sue added sweetly.

Beca didn't know what to say. She was stunned. But she also had to see her father to believe that what they were saying was true. She watched as Jerry pulled a flat box out of his pants pocket and held it out to her, "Both sets of us parents agreed – well...Sue and Sheila both decided, but we men agreed – that we should provide you and Chloe with something to mark your special day. So your Dad and Sheila are over with Chloe presenting her with the gift they picked out for her. And this is the gift we picked out for you."

The Beale's smiled kindly at Beca as the young woman took the small box and opened it. Her breath caught in her throat as her eyes lay on a beautiful gold necklace, that had a delicate gold chain, and a tiny gold letter 'B' on it. Beca could feel her nose begin to tingle, a sign that tears were beginning to well up in her head, and she let out a light sniff as she beamed up at the couple before her. 

"It's  _perfect_. Thank you so much." She croaked awkwardly, having never been great at receiving gifts. 

"Would you like me to...?" Sue offered, motioning to the necklace in the box and Beca nodded. And as the woman gently secured the jewellery around her neck, Beca smiled to herself. So  _that_  was why Aubrey had insisted that she didn't wear a necklace. She must've known this was The Beale's and The Mitchell's intention. "There." Sue said finally and moved back around to stand by her husband's side.

"I'd better be getting over to Chloe. Can't be long now." Jerry said gently to Beca and the brunette nodded, somewhat overwhelmed by the visit. She really was thrilled to be joining this great family. She received one last hug from Jerry, then from Sue, then she stood awkwardly as they both stepped out of the private canopy, letting the 'door' fall shut behind them.

Beca turned back to the mirror, a soft smile back on her face again, bringing her hand up to the small gold 'B' that hung around her neck, resting just below her collar bone and a few millimeters above the fabric of the smart black jumpsuit she was wearing. She let out a content sigh. This was going to be okay. Right? Everything was going to go to plan.

Her heart skipped a beat as her eyes looked up at the reflection of the 'door' as it 'opened' and her father stepped inside. He looked somewhat sheepish, but Beca noticed a softness to his expression that she'd never seen before. At least, not in her memory. She turned to face him. 

"Wow Beca, you look..." Cal began, and Beca held her breath, having never seen her father lost for words before. Well, not for any good reason. But the man simply exhaled, smiling softly at his daughter as he eventually finished with a kind, "...beautiful."

"Thanks Dad." Beca managed to say, still fairly overwhelmed with everything. And she hadn't even walked down the aisle yet. What was she going to be like when she got to Chloe? "You look pretty awesome yourself." And a coy smile swept across her face. It was weird to see her father looking this... _relaxed_. She wasn't sure if she'd  _ever_  seen him this relaxed. But perhaps she'd just never really wanted to take any notice of her father in the past. She'd always been full of so much anger and resentment towards him before.

"I was just with Chloe." Cal said, motioning over his shoulder towards the 'door' with his thumb.

"So I heard..." Beca said with some caution, her smile wavering, and to her surprise her father didn't become defensive or rude. He just... _smiled._

"She looks stunning, Bec. You're..." Cal paused to let out a small chuckle, loving the look on his daughter's face right now, "...you're gonna be blown away when you see her."

"I'm blown away every time I see her Dad." Beca said in a slightly amused tone, her eyebrows raising, "I've been blown away by her for years."

"I know." Cal began, before swallowing loudly. He seemed to shuffle his feet and Beca was sure that had he been wearing a tie he would probably be fiddling with it right now. "Listen, Beca, I want to apologize for the way I've been behaving over the years towards you. And in particular the way I've behaved towards Chloe." Beca couldn't help the way her mouth dropped open in surprise. Because her father was  _apologising_. He  _never_  apologised! "The past twenty four hours that I've spent with The Beale's...it's shown me what being in a family should be like. It's shown me what I've lacked in my role as your father. And I know I will never be able to make up for the way I've behaved over the years but..." Beca hadn't ever seen her father cry in her adult life. She'd seen him cry when she'd been a teenager. When he'd come home to find out that her mother had left them. But he just didn't cry much. Which was why it was a little uncomfortable seeing tears in his eyes at that moment in time, "...I hope that from today you'll forgive me. I hope you  _can_  forgive me. And I hope that from today and for the rest of my life I can be the father you need and want me to be."

Beca was stunned into silence. All that remained was the tiny smile that poked out of the corners of her mouth as she looked up at her father. The two Mitchell's stood, motionless for a couple of moments. Beca trying to process her father's apology and offer. Cal waiting with baited breath for his daughter's response. Then, out of nowhere, Beca dove forward and threw her arms around her father's waist.

Cal froze, having not had any form of affection like this from his daughter in over fifteen years. He'd missed the feel of her small arms around his waist, even though he wasn't one for affection himself. And a soft smile grew on his face as he heard his daughter mumble, "Thanks Dad" in a relieved tone. Cal Mitchell gently brought his arms around his daughter's petite body and held her tight for what he imagined would be one of the last times. Beca had never been one for affection and he couldn't imagine she'd start now all of a sudden. This was a one-off. And he'd make the most of it.

After a few moments they parted, both with tears in their eyes as they sniffed and grinned at one another. Cal cleared his throat, "You know, I  _never_  imagined you  _ever_  getting married on the beach. You always hated the ocean."

Beca cleared her own throat, letting out a light chuckle, "Yeah well Chloe loves the beach, and the sun, and the ocean..." and she paused, looking up into her father's green eyes, shrugging as though what she was saying was the most simplest thing on the planet, "...and I love her. So long as she's happy then I'm happy."

A soft smile grew on Cal's face as he looked down at his daughter's face. All he'd ever wanted for her was to be content. Sure, for a long time he couldn't see how she could possibly be content with Chloe, but now he could. Chloe did everything within her power to make Beca happy. The Beale's had told him all about it over dinner last night. About how all through college Chloe had supported and encouraged his daughter to be the very best version of herself. Chloe had always believed in Beca when nobody else had. And that was when Cal Mitchell realised that his daughter really  _had_  found the one for her. Even if that one was another women.

"And so long as you're happy then I'm happy, Sprout." Cal said to his daughter softly, and Beca raised her eyebrows, recognising the nickname her father had once used all through her childhood.

"I  _am_  happy Dad." Beca replied quietly, a calm smile on her face.

"Then I'm happy too." Cal confirmed with a gentle nod and an equally calm smile. "And lucky you to feel that way with your first marriage!" He added brightly.

Beca turned to check her reflection one last time, "This isn't going to be my first marriage Dad." She said confidently, and she smiled when she saw his hesitation. She looked up at his face and raised her eyebrows, "This is going to be my  _only_  marriage."

Cal Mitchell looked at his daughter as she smoothed her hands down the front of her outfit. A black jumpsuit wasn’t exactly what he’d ever imagined his daughter would wear on her wedding day. But it was  _very_  Beca. The man looked at her with pride. Because Beca had done exactly what she’d wanted to do with her life. The career she’d dreamt of since a teen. She’d stuck to her guns, working hard with grit and determination, finally becoming the very thing she had so stubbornly insisted she’d one day become: a music producer. And she now lived in LA, just as she’d always said she would, earning good money. The only slight change in her life dream – and the one that Cal admitted had taken him most by surprise – was that the person by his daughter’s side through all of it, and the person she was about to marry, was a woman. Chloe no less. The girl who Beca had actually talked a lot about back when she’d been in college, but that Cal hadn’t really taken much notice of. 

“Are you feeling nervous?” The man asked his daughter, but Beca turned slowly on the spot with a calm smile. She shook her head gently.

“Not any more.” Beca replied confidently, “Just… _excited_  I guess.” 

Cal raised his eyebrows with pleasant surprise and Beca let out a light chuckle as her father said, “Wow. Well, I hadn’t ever thought you’d get excited about getting married.”

“Me either. But here we are!” Beca added, just as Aubrey and Stacie stepped through the canopy ‘door’ with big grins on their faces.

“Beca you look  _amazing_!” Aubrey said with a gasp, her mouth immediately closing when Stacie nudged her in the ribs, giving her a playfully disapproving look. But as Aubrey looked up at her girlfriend to apologise Stacie simply grinned at her and the two resumed their focus on the bride-to-be.

“Are you ready?” Stacie asked in an encouraging manner and Beca took a deep breath.

“Yeah.” she said with a calm sigh, “Yeah I’m ready. I-Is Chloe?”

Aubrey and Stacie both appeared to let out amused chuckles behind their huge smiles.

“Very ready.”

“And very excited.”

“And emotional.”

“Em-Emotional?” Beca stuttered, her smile dropping for a moment. Was she re-thinking things?

Aubrey appeared to notice the hesitation and stepped forward to place an assuring hand on Beca’s shoulder, smiling encouragingly down at the petite brunette.

“She’s about to finally marry the love of her life. The woman she’s adored since she was twenty one.” The blonde said and Beca took a deep shaky breath as Aubrey continued, “She’s ready for you Beca.”

Beca just nodded slowly, a soft smile wiping on her face as Aubrey hugged her, then Stacie handed her a small bunch of yellow gerberas. Chloe's favourite flower, and the type of flower they'd decided to include in their wedding today.

“You know the drill yeah?” Stacie asked as she stepped back from the quick hug she'd given the smaller brunette, “The music will start, the canopy doors will open, you both walk towards the centre.”

Beca nodded firmly, butterflies beginning to flutter in her stomach as she watched two of her closest friends step out of her canopy, the ‘door’ flowing shut again. And suddenly Beca became hyper aware of how quiet it had become. There was still the sound of the waves hitting the shore nearby. The sound of the light warm breeze drifting across the fabric of the canopy ‘walls’. And the little voice of Chloe’s youngest niece, Ellie, piping up, asking her mother why she had to be quiet. 

Then suddenly music began playing. It was a track by an artist that Chloe adored, this song of which she had played over and over again over the past few years, though she strongly maintained that the lyrics weren’t necessarily the reason why she loved it so much. She mostly loved the melody. So Beca had managed to pull some strings, call some contacts, and had got hold of an instrumental version of ‘ _Photograph’_  by Ed Sheeran. The perk of working in the music industry and starting to make a name for herself as a legitimate music producers.

Beca took a deep breath, looking to her father who glanced at her slightly nervously. He wasn’t someone who liked being the centre of attention much, so this was quite a big step for him too. Walking out in front of a tonne of people they didn’t really know – most being part of Chloe’s extended family. 

Cal offered his arm, and Beca took it just as the ‘door’ to the canopy they were stood under was pulled back by Johnny and Ryan Beale. Beca took another deep breath, and stepped out into the morning sunshine. She blinked for a moment, trying to let her blue eyes adjust to the light while light gasps and cops were sounded from the guests all stood to her right. Then her heart skipped a beat. 

There, up ahead of her, was the central meeting point where the official ceremony would be taking place. And just beyond that stood Chloe, her arm looped in Jerry’s arm, stood outside the canopy she’d been getting ready in this morning. A huge smile brushed over Beca’s face the second her eyes met Chloe’s, adoring the signature Beale grin that was on the other woman’s face. 

Chloe’s hair had also been styled in a very similar fashion to Beca’s. Her long red hair flowing down her back in loose waves while two locks of it – one from each side – had been plaited back, presumably joined at the back of her head with a small hair tie. Beca loved it when Chloe had her hair down and she thought it funny that they would both instruct Cynthia-Rose to style their hair in a very similar way.

The redhead wore a beautiful white dress, a-line in style, beginning at the top with a laced v-neck, running down over her beautifully toned body and ending just above her ankles. Chloe looked as though she was very close to bursting into tears as she and her father slowly began making their way down their own little aisle towards the centre of the ceremony area. Beca and Cal also slowly began walking towards the centre. Beca didn't care that everyone was watching her. She didn't really care that anyone else was here. Because her entire focus. Her entire being was drawn to the very woman who was staring back at her adoringly as they slowly approached one another. 

They came to a stop mere inches from one another, they both turned to their respective fathers. As Beca received a rather awkward kiss on the cheek from her father, she noticed Sheila approach beside them, gently taking the small bouquet of yellow gerberas from her hands, and Beca smiled gratefully at her step-mother. She turned to see that Sue Beale had done the same for Chloe, though Chloe had also thrown her arms around her mother's neck to thank her. Beca noticed tears rolling down Jerry's cheeks and she wondered how long the man had been crying for. She'd never really seen a man cry happy tears before.

The parents stepped back from their respective daughters, and Beca finally took hold of Chloe's hands, unable to help the massive grin on her face as she looked into Chloe's bright blue eyes. 

"Hey." Chloe whispered with a big smile.

"Hey." Beca replied with a whisper, "You look really beautiful." 

And Beca thought she noticed her fiancee blush slightly as Chloe bit her bottom lip for a brief moment then glanced down Beca's body for a moment before looking back up into her eyes, "You look really beautiful too." Then the two women, and the guests all facing them, let out light chuckles and giggles as Alba, donning a beautiful new yellow collar to match the gerberas that her owners had been carrying, laid on the ground between them, her body protectively over both their feet.

Beca and Chloe looked back up at one another, their smiles softening and a calm wave rushing over both their bodies as the woman conducting their wedding ceremony whispered to them, "Are you both ready?"

And Beca and Chloe both nodded. They were ready.


	52. Epilogue XXXVII - Grandmother Richmond

The wedding ceremony ran smoothly, and to both Beca and Chloe's relief Fat Amy ended up being on her best behaviour throughout it. In fact, the only 'disruption' had come when there had been a low wave of surprised mumbles between the guests when the registrar conducting the ceremony revealed that Beca's full name  _wasn't_  Rebecca like everyone had presumed. Beca had  _actually_  been named 'Beca' at birth. The newlyweds and their guests were now sat within a large, light room in an outhouse that was a part of the hotel, but along one wall was bifold windows that had been opened up to allow the ocean breeze to drift into the room. And just outside those 'windows' stood a beautiful white sandy beach. 

Beca returned to the large room, having just excused herself to go to the bathroom, and took a moment to look around, a calm expression on her face while she looked at each table. Sure, she didn't exactly recognise half of the people chatting and laughing away in the room right now. But she knew they were all Chloe's family. And Chloe's family was now  _her_  family. 

The people she  _did_  know, however, all looked to be having a good time. Twelve year old Eva, Chloe’s eldest niece, sat with Emily – the youngest Bella - chatting away to the brunette in her bright Beale way. Emily was sat at ‘The Bellas Table’ with Cynthia-Rose, Flo and Lilly. Jessica and Ashley, meanwhile, had found their way over to the ‘kids craft table’ and were busy fashioning different origami models for ten year old Hunter and seven year old Noah – Eva’s two brothers and two of Chloe’s nephews. Samuel, one of Chloe’s other nephews, had already found his place beside the large wedding cake that stood in the corner of the room, looking up at it longingly. Beca smirked as she told herself not to be too surprised if one or two of the iced music notes were missing by the time she and Chloe had to go up to cut the cake.

Johnny and Michael – two of Chloe’s older brothers - were both stood by the table where some of Chloe’s uncles and aunts were sat, chatting to a couple of Sue Beale’s many older brothers. Ryan – Chloe’s other older brother – was stood with his wife, trying to calm their eldest twin, six year old Oliver, who appeared to be crying crocodile tears over something. And Beca had a little scan around for his twin brother Jack-

“Wah!” Beca yelled slightly as she felt a little body tumble against her legs and cling to them. She grinned as she looked down at Jack, Chloe’s youngest nephew (and Beca’s secret favourite of the Beale nephews and nieces). The six year old looked up at her with big eyes and that signature Beale smile.

“Gotcha Auntie Beca!” he squeaked happily and Beca couldn’t help the weird tug she felt in her heart whenever the kids called her ‘Auntie Beca’. 

“You haaave dude.” Beca said fondly, giving his messy hair a little tustle. She kept her focus on him as his big eyes suddenly snapped to an approaching figure, and to Beca’s confusion, she saw the little boy begin to cower slightly behind her. She looked up from Jack and over to the new arrival in her bubble, and her stomach flipped.

Her eyes caught a pair of startling sharp blue beady eyes that drank in her appearance closely for the first time. Those eyes belonged to a small elderly woman who resembled something like that of a shrivelled prune. Or one of those weird zombie mummies that were in that movie Jesse once made her watch back in college (‘The Mummy’ maybe?).  Beca immediately felt nervous. Because this was the Grandmother Chloe (and the rest of The Beale’s) had warned her about. This was Sue’s mother. Chloe’s Grandmother. Grandmother Richmond.

-

Sue Beale, stood with her husband, chatting happily with Aubrey and Stacie about the wedding so far.

“Honestly, Aubrey, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Chloe look so relaxed at an event before.” Jerry said honestly, 

“Yes thank you both for doing such a great job putting all this together.” Sue said with a nod in agreement and Aubrey and Stacie both looked at one another with soft smiles. Sue had to admit, the two women looked completely smitten by one another, and it surprised her that they hadn’t been more ‘together’ whilst being here. Away from prying eyes and judgemental parents. This  _was_  a gay wedding after all. If ever there were a more comfortable environment for two women to be open about being blissfully in love with one another then here would be the place.

“Well Aubrey’s the true mastermind,” Stacie said brightly with a big beaming smile, daring to place her hand on the small of Aubrey’s back, and Sue noticed the way the blonde’s expression turned into an affectionate one while Stacie added, “I’m just her glamorous assistant.”

“ _Very_ glamorous assistant I might add.” Sue said kindly, “You both look beautiful today.” Before leaning a little closer to them and whispering, “And so happy together.”

“Well it’s nice to finally get to spend more than twenty four hours together for once.” Aubrey replied, letting out a light sigh while turning back to Chloe’s parents. Sue had heard her daughter mention the long periods of time that Aubrey and Stacie had to go apart. Days, sometimes even weeks between visits. And Sue admired their patience. It was the sign of a strong relationship if two people could stay that true to one another despite rarely spending time together.

The four adults found their attentions on Chloe, the new bride stood beside Cal and Sheila Mitchell who were sat at the table they’d been allocated. The redhead was chatting away to her new in-laws, that signature bright Beale smile on her face as she said something that made Cal Mitchell laugh out loud.

“Well I never thought I’d see the day that Beca’s father would finally seem comfortable around Chloe.” Aubrey said conversationally and Jerry let out a light chuckle.

“Yeah well, we Beale’s pride ourselves in battering down people’s walls with our kindness and good nature.” Mr Beale said with a shrug and Sue looked to her husband with a soft smile. Because what he said was true. The Beale’s, as a family, had always been jolly and warm and welcoming. A far cry from The Richmond’s, who seemed far stricter and less affectionate. Sue remembered how her mother had rolled her eyes back when she’d told her that ‘Jeremy Beale’ had asked her to the pictures on a date. Sue also remembered her mother’s reaction to finding out that her only granddaughter, Chloe, was going to be marrying another woman.

_Sue glanced to her right, at her husband who politely stuck his fork into the vegetables on his plate and uncharacteristically ate them_ _quietly_ _. They’d made the journey up to Connecticut to visit Sue’s mother. Not just because Sue felt it important to keep in touch with her mother. But also because her brothers had insisted that she break the news to her sooner rather than later that Chloe would be getting married._

_She wasn’t sure how they’d managed it, but her daughter had managed to date Beca for almost a year and a half without ever having to introduce the poor girl to Grandmother Richmond – Sue’s mother. It wasn’t that Mrs Richmond wasn’t a nice lady. But it was more the case that she was less than ‘PC’ when it came to keeping her own thoughts and feelings and ideals to herself._ _And none of The Beale’s wanted to expose Beca to that._

_“So, Mo_ _m,” Sue began casually, trying to sound as though_ _what she was about to s_ _ay_ _was no big deal, “_ _we’ve got some news about Chloe._ _”_

_The woman looked up nervously_ _from her plate of food as her mother stopped chewing for a moment, raising her eyebrows as she normally did when she was awaiting_ _the next part of one of her children’s sentences. Sue took a deep breath. Chloe was her mother’s only granddaughter. This was going to be a VERY big deal…_

_“She’s getting married.” Sue managed to eventually blurt out. And_ _Alice Richmond’s eyes lit up._

_“My goodness!” The old woman said in surprise, “And here I was thinking she would have done something outrageous like returned to college to spend the rest of her twenties in education to avoid adult responsibilities.” Sue turned to look awkwardly at her husband, but Jerry was busy pushing a carrot around his plate, wanting to avoid his mother-in-law’s eyes. “So tell me, what is this young man like? Is he good and strong? Will he provide for her?”_

_Sue turned back to her mother who had now swallowed her mouthful and was leaning towards the two of them, awaiting more information. This was going to be a hell of a shock_ _. “Um,” Sue began, “well she’s actually marrying Beca.”_

_Alice furrowed her brow, and after a couple of moments sat back with a small shake of her head, rolling her eyes as she pushed her fork into a small potato on her plate, “Oh the youth of today. Giving their sons girl’s names and their daughters boy’s names.”_

_Sue and Jerry Beale both looked at one another. The old woman assumed Beca was a man with a woman’s name. Somehow this was making the situation worse._

_“Actually Mom…” Sue began, turning back to her mother, “Beca is_ _the woman Chloe’s been living with in Brooklyn over the past few years_ _. You remember? The one I told you about, who Chloe met in college?”_

_“The one who helped her with her singing group?”_

_“The one who was IN her singing group, yes.” Sue nodded in agreement. She really had no idea how much more information she needed to provide for her mother to try to encourage her to understand what was being said here._ _But Grandmother Richmond looked up from her food with a furrowed brow as she looked at her youngest child – her only daughter._ _And Sue realised she’d definitely have to spell it out for her._ _“Mom, Chloe_ _’s_ _gay. She’s marrying a woman. She’s going to_ _be_ _marry_ _ing_ _Beca in April.”_

_There was a stillness in the air around the dining room as Alice kept her beady eyes on her daughter and her son-in-law. Both Sue and Jerry_ _swallowed loudly._

_“She’s marrying a woman.”_

_“Yes.” Sue and Jerry said in unison._

_“They_ _’re_ _together?”_

_“Yes.”_

_“Not just_ _friends?”_

_“No.”_

_“And you’ve allowed this to happen?” Alice asked with a tone that suggested she couldn’t believe that the couple opposite her had been so careless._

_“Actually, Alice, Beca_ _’s_ _very good for Chloe. She works hard and earns very good money and she makes Chloe very happy.” Jerry tried to reason. But Alice immediately looked to her daughter, and Sue’s cheeks flushed red._

_“Susan! You are allowing your ONLY daughter to marry another woman??”_

_“Uh.” Su_ _e_ _hesitated. She hated being told off. Even now she was in her late fifties._ _She had always been the golden child. Beloved by her mother and late-father._ _Their only girl. Their pride and joy, having given birth to their_ _ONLY_ _granddaughter out of seventeen grandchildren._ _“Listen, Mom. I know this isn’t exactly traditional but…well, Chloe is very happy with Beca and has been for a long time now._ _And Jerry and I want to support her no matter what she does with her life and as th_ _is is_ _one of those life decisions that she’s made then we’ll support her in that.”_

_The dining room fell silent again. All three adults looked at one another. Then suddenly Alice dropped her cutlery onto her plate with a loud ‘CLANG’,_ _and she pushed her chair out._

_“_ _Mooom_ _…” Sue began to whine, but Grandmother Richmond didn’t even look at her daughter, and instead stood up from the table and made her way out of the room. Sue and Jerry let out sighs and looked at one another._

_“Well,”_ _Jerry said with a light shrug, “that could’ve been worse?”_

-

Beca swallowed loudly, her hands feeling a little clammy at the sudden presence of Chloe’s Grandmother. It was no secret that the woman had been less than impressed with the idea that her only granddaughter was marrying another woman. But for some reason the elderly lady had insisted on coming along. And while both Beca and Chloe had initially panicked about this news, Sue Beale had assured them that her older brothers would keep an eye on her mother to ensure she didn’t ruin their big day for them.

Well, I admit,” Grandmother Richmond said to Beca in her slow elderly voice, her piercing blue eyes touching upon each of Beca’s facial features, as though trying to size the brunette up, “I was bitterly disappointed when I found out that Chloe was marrying a woman.” Beca hesitated, her heart racing with nerves, especially now little Jack had begun gripping her hand tightly, clearly more terrified of his great grandmother the longer they stood in her presence. 

“She is my only granddaughter. The only daughter of my only daughter. Named after my own mother.” 

Beca wasn’t overly sure where Grandmother Richmond was going with this, but she had a sinking feeling that it wasn’t going to be good.

“She is very,  _very_  important to me. And the only thing I’ve ever wanted to see was for her to be happy.”

Beca struggled to tear her eyes from the elderly woman’s tight stare, and she swallowed loudly. This was the expression of a woman who  _really_  didn’t like her.

 _“_ She can’t ever be happy being in a partnership with a woman. She will be unhappy, and afraid. Society will dismiss her. And she will grow old, miserable and alone.”

Beca’s chest tightened, and she opened her mouth to attempt to object. Because Chloe would never be dismissed by society. Beca would make sure of that. Just as she would make sure that Chloe would never grow old, miserable and alone. But Grandmother Richmond raised an old knobbly index finger to stop Beca in her tracks.

“However, that was what I used to think. Before today.”

-

Sue smiled softly as her youngest granddaughter, Ellie, scrambled over to Chloe. And her youngest daughter scooped the three year old up with a big grin while she still chatted to Beca’s parents. Chloe’s new in-laws. She loved how happy her daughter looked, and was thrilled that Chloe had finally found her place in life, married to someone who loved her, with a potentially blossoming career ahead of her.

The mother’s eyes drifted across the room, trying to find her new daughter-in-law. Chloe’s  _wife_. But suddenly her heart lurched when her eyes caught sight of her mother pointing a finger at Beca. 

“Oh God.” Sue said, immediately reaching out for her husband’s arm, “Jerry!”

Jerry Beale, who had been chatting away to Aubrey and Stacie, looked at his wife, somewhat perplexed, “Wh-what? What’s going on??”

“Mom!” was all Sue said, pointing over at her mother across the other side of the room, who was still pointing a finger at Beca.

“Oh shhhit…” Jerry muttered under his breath, immediately following his wife who had begun to quickly make her way over to Grandmother Richmond, who was likely to be trash-talking Beca at that very moment in time.

Aubrey and Stacie both watched in amusement as The Beale’s darted away from them, and the brunette took this opportunity to mutter into her girlfriend’s ear, “I need to go and change my shoes.”

Aubrey furrowed her brow, turning slightly to look at Stacie, “Into what? Do you want to look like a midget next to me or something?” but then she noticed the way Stacie was grinning seductively at her and she realised what her girlfriend with insinuating. 

“Ohhh…” she said quietly, a light grin on her face, “I get you now.”

“You get me?” Stacie said in an amused tone, shooting Aubrey a wink and Aubrey couldn’t help the low giggle that left her mouth.

“Oh I’ll get you alright.” She responded daringly, loving the way Stacie’s eye lit up.

“See you at my hut in five minutes.” 

Aubrey grinned as she watched Stacie slowly walk out of the room, the model looking over her shoulder at the blonde before walking through the door. Aubrey swallowed loudly. She wasn’t sure if it was just being at a wedding – specifically a gay wedding – or because she and Stacie had just spent six full days together both in LA and here in Hawaii. But Aubrey was head over heels for the woman. And she had to admit, if they were both drinking this evening – which it was highly likely they would be – then they might get to a stage when they didn’t care who saw them together. She just knew she wanted to spend a good portion of time with her arms around that woman. Her  _girlfriend_.

“Hey, Aubrey?” 

Aubrey jumped as she heard someone talk to her and she turned to see Fat Amy arrive by her side. She tried her hardest not to sigh in disappointment. Because Amy was one hell of a talker once she got started, and Aubrey  _really_  needed to get over to Stacie’s hut soon.

“So you helped organise this whole thing, right?”

“Um..yeah?” Aubrey said tentatively. She knew what was coming. Beca and Stacie had both pre-warned her that Amy was trying to find out who the secret band was performing the ‘first dance’ song tonight..

“So who’s performing Beca & Chloe’s ‘first dance’?” 

“You know full well I’m not at liberty to tell you that, Amy.” Aubrey said, becoming more distracted by the second, desperately wanting to leave to find her girlfriend. 

“Oh come  _on_  Aubrey! I won’t tell Chloe! Honest!” 

All that most of The Bellas knew was Beca had managed to enlist the talents of a band she had been working with over the past few months in LA. Helping them to produce an entire record in exchange for them performing a song at her wedding. Chloe had no idea who it was singing or what the song was. And nor did any of other The Bellas except Beca, and Aubrey and Stacie, who had been in charge of ensuring the hotel knew what to do with them once they arrived at the resort. Which they had done earlier that day while the entire wedding party had been down at the beach for the ceremony.

“Amy you literally have two hours until they play. You’ve gone this long. It’s just two hours left to go.” Aubrey said seriously. And Amy let out a giant puff of air in frustration.

-

“Seeing how happy Chloe is with you has made me realise that it doesn’t matter what I used to think.” Grandmother Richmond continued, and Beca couldn’t help her mouth dropping open slightly in shock. Was…was this woman  _okay_  with her  _only_  granddaughter being gay?! “Because she looks really  _very_  happy and contented.” Beca turned to look at her  _wi_ _fe_  and couldn’t help the soft smile that spread on her face. Chloe was currently stood, chatting animatedly with Beca’s parents. And Beca was thrilled to see that her father and step-mother were looking up at Chloe with big genuine beaming smiles on their faces, hanging onto her every word.  She loved the way Ellie was currently balanced on her wife's hip, twirling a lock of her Aunt's long red hair in her little fingers. And Beca felt her heart swell, a weird  _maternal_ longing taking over her body for a moment. Because she loved seeing Chloe with her nieces and nephews. And she looked forward to the day when they'd start a family of their own.

“And I can tell that she makes you very happy and content too.” Grandmother Richmond added wisely, smiling kindly at Beca when the young woman turned to look back at her, “I’ve never seen anybody look at my Granddaughter the way you do. And that’s how I know that your love for her is genuine.”

“I really  _do_  love her Mrs Richmond.” Beca said honestly, raising her eyebrows to emphasise her point, and the elderly woman before her let out a hum of approval, before leaning a little closer to Beca and adding gently, “You can call me Grandmother if you like.”

Beca’s shoulders relaxed and she released a breath of air she hadn’t realised she’d been holding in. Well, if the matriarch of one side of Chloe’s family was giving her the ‘all clear’ then she  _must_  be doing all the right things.

Suddenly, Sue and Jerry Beale appeared by their sides, looking somewhat flustered, “Beca!” Sue exclaimed, slightly out of breath from the adrenaline and the light dash they’d taken to get over to Beca’s aid, “E-Everything okay? Are you okay?”

Beca had a feeling she knew why they were worried, but they needn’t be. Things were going far better with Grandmother Richmond than Beca could’ve ever expected. And as a result she turned to her parents-in-law and shrugged, “Uh, yeah, great thanks. Um…Grandmother, here, was just…um…”

“Sending her good wishes for her and Chloe’s future together!” Alice Richmond said firmly to her daughter, causing Sue and Jerry Beale’s eyebrows to raise.

“Wow, uh…nice one Mom.” Was all Sue managed to muster, watching in shock as her mother looked back at her daughter’s new wife and  _smiled_.

-

“Are their bodies ‘too bootilicious’?” 

Aubrey sat at the table, her legs crossed, her head resting on the palm of her hand as she mumbled in a bored voice, “No.”

Fat Amy sat close to her, looking at her facial expressions intently, waiting for the woman to crack. She’d been trying to work out what band was singing Beca & Chloe’s first dance song for almost twenty minutes now.

“Would everybody ‘rock their body now’?”

Aubrey let out a sigh, scrunching her face up slightly, “Wh-? Queen  _aren’t_  performing.”

“Huh?”

“We will  _rock_  you?”

Amy rolled her eyes, “You don’t know the lyrics to ‘Everybody’ by Backstreet Boys??”

“Beca has  _not_  been working with the Backstreet Boys on their next record!” Aubrey let out a small groan while Amy’s eyes lit up.

“Ooh, but am I close with the number of band members? Is there five of them??”

“Stooooop…” Aubrey whined, closing her eyes.

“Stop…” Amy mumbled thoughtfully, then she let out a gasp, “The  _Spice_  Girls?!”

“Oh my God,  _Amy_!!” Aubrey snapped, getting to her feet. But Fat Amy joined her, a victorious grin on her face.

“I’m right, aren’t I? It’s the Spice Girls!”

Aubrey looked over at the door of the large room to see that Stacie had already walked through it, her brow furrowed, clearly wondering why Aubrey hadn’t made it over to her hut when she’d agreed that she would. But that frown unknitted as she arrived at the table Aubrey had been sat at, just as Amy said joyfully, “Oh my God, I can’t believe the Spice Girls are performing.”

Aubrey looked at Stacie apologetically, raising her eyebrows as an answer to her girlfriend’s questioning expression, and Stacie just grinned, because she’d gone through Amy’s interrogation yesterday afternoon. And it had been exhausting.

“Are they gonna perform ‘ _2 Become 1_ ’? Because I  _love_  that song!” Amy said with a grin, before pausing for a moment, “Except…” her smile faded to a more awkward expression, “…that song’s about sex which…probably isn’t appropriate considering there are kids at this wedding. And Grandparents.” 

Aubrey and Stacie watched as Amy looked back up at them with a grin, “I’m gonna go tell Cynthia-Rose and Flo!” And the Australian waddled off happily. Aubrey and Stacie let out light chuckles then shook their heads gently.

“She’s so far off the mark.” Stacie said in an amused tone.

“ _So_  far off the mark.” Aubrey agreed.


	53. Epilogue XXXVIII - The First Dance

 

 _“How about Kodaline?” Chloe asked as she strode into the tiny lounge of their Brooklyn apartment, her iPad in her hands, and a smile on her face. She watched in amusement as her fiancée looked up from her laptop with a slightly furrowed brow._  

 _“Huh?” came the brunette’s response._  

 _“For our first dance.” Chloe said with a light sigh, taking a seat on the couch beside Beca, Alba sitting at their feet watching their interactions. “What about that band you had perform for me when you proposed.”_  

 _Chloe watched as her fiancée cleared her throat, tugging her headphones from her ears and pushing back the stray strands of hair from her face while she turned to look at her._  

 _“Um, I’m actually in the midst of sorting out our first dance.”_  

 _“Oh!” was all Chloe said in a surprised tone, raising her eyebrows_  

 _“Yeah I – uh…I really want it to be a surprise because…well you’re gonna love it and…well I love you and…”_  

 _Chloe couldn’t help the large smile that grew over her face while Beca screwed her own face up awkwardly._  

 _“You’re not mad are you? Because if you are then I can totally stop planning it and-“_  

 _“-Beca!” Chloe said in an amused tone and let out a small giggle, “Of course I’m not mad!”_  

 _“A-And you reckon you’ll be okay waiting a couple of months before you find out who it is and what they’re singing?” Beca asked cautiously, and Chloe nodded enthusiastically. She’d had to wait seven years before finally getting to DATE Beca, what was two months to have to wait for her wedding, huh?_  

“I wouldn’t go anywhere right now if I were you.” Aubrey advised as she watched her best friend begin to wander away from the gaggle of Bellas that were stood near the wedding cake that Chloe and Beca had just cut. Chloe stopped suddenly, and looked over her shoulder at the blonde with a slightly furrowed brow, but Aubrey quickly answered her questioning expression with a soft smile, “You’re about five minutes away from your first dance.” 

Chloe’s face lit up and she quickly returned to Aubrey’s side while the rest of the gathered Bellas sans Beca began squealing in excitement. The redhead knew nothing about the first dance that she was about to have with her new wife. All she knew was what Beca had told her. 

 _“Okay, so a few things about our first dance tomorrow.” Beca began as she picked away at the beautiful food on the dinner plate in front of her. They were sat on the beach. It was the night before their wedding. And the table area that she and Chloe sat at were lit by electric lanterns above them, and small candles on the table._  

 _“Oh?” Chloe asked, bringing her plastic yellow cup of wine up to her lips and sipping_ _from it with a small smile_ _._ _She’d been_ _filled with curiosity about_ _what Beca had in store for their first dance tomorrow since the brunette had_ _told her she was arranging it a couple of months ago. She watched as a coy smile swept across Beca’s face. Chloe could tell the woman was pretty pleased with the secret arrangement._  

 _“So obviously it’s going to be performed live.” Beca began before looking up at Chloe, and the redhead felt certain she saw a twinkle in it, “But it’s going to be performed by someone who I’ve been working with in LA.”_  

 _“The person whose record you’ve been producing but who you categorically won’t tell me who it is because it’s super top secret? That person?” Chloe asked, her eyebrows now raised in delight._  

 _“That person.” Beca confirmed with a grin. “And another thing. The song they’re performing is actually a song that I wrote. For you. A-About you.”_  

 _Chloe’s mouth dropped open as Beca began blushing, looking a little flustered, holding her hands up in defence, “But don’t go getting all mushy about it yet. You’ve not heard it. You might hate it.”_  

 _“Impossible.” Chloe said quickly, a broad smile on her face, “Knowing you wrote it FOR me, ABOUT me, already makes it perfect.”_  

 _Chloe noticed the way Beca’s smile broadened at her words. She couldn’t wait until this time tomorrow when they could finally have their first dance and she could listen to the song that Beca had written for her._  

Beca stepped back into the main area of her wedding reception, picking her way between the guests that she’d gotten to know and come to recognise over the past several hours since the ceremony this morning. She’d had a few drinks throughout the day and was at a happy level of buzzed – not drunk – grinning happily as she looked around the room for her wife. Her  _wif_ _e_! It was still such a bizarrely wonderful thing to know that she and Chloe were finally married. And that she was officially now a Beale. Mrs Beca Beale. 

Beca cringed a little. Yeah it sounded a little too snappy. A little too cheesy. As though she were a cartoon character. ‘Beca Beale’. But she really didn’t care any more. She’d got used to the idea. And to many she’d be known as Beca Mitchell because that was her professional name.  

The brunette let out a heavy happy sigh as she finally clasped eyes on her wife. Chloe had managed to do something that Beca hadn’t managed to do, and that was maintain her flawless hair, makeup and outfit. Beca had just inspected her appearance in the mirror of the bathroom. Her hair was no longer as straight as it had been this morning, Cynthia-Rose had had to re-do the two plaits about an hour ago because they’d loosened too much, and Beca had managed to smudge a bit of cake frosting on her thigh when she’d let little Jack hug her leg earlier – not realising he had frosting all around his face. 

Beca approached her wife, smoothing her hand across Chloe’s lower back as a greeting and she loved the content look the woman gave her. 

“Ready for our first dance?” Beca asked, placing a kiss on Chloe’s cheek, an action fuelled by the drop of alcohol in her system. But before Chloe could answer, Fat Amy threw her hands into the air startling the couple and the rest of The Bellas. 

“YES! Finally!” Amy said with a huge grin. The Bellas all chuckled at the Australian, then turned back to the newlyweds to see that Beca was already slowly leading Chloe by the hand over to the dance floor.  

Jerry Beale took a deep breath and stepped up onto the stage that ran alongside the dance floor. As he approached the microphone he nodded a polite greeting to the few women stood with violins, a man stood by a keyboard, a man stood with a bass guitar, and a woman sat at a drum kit. He didn’t know them, just like he didn’t  _really_ know the person about to perform the ‘first dance’ song at his daughter’s wedding. But he trusted Beca’s judgement, as well as Aubrey & Stacie’s organisation skills. He was about to introduce probably the best moment of his daughter’s life. 

“Ladies and Gentlemen, may I have your attention please?” Jerry said into the microphone, clearing his throat while he waited for all the guests before him to acknowledge his words. His eyes found his daughter’s, the young woman stood in the middle of the dance floor with her new wife, her usual bright smile on her face. And Jerry couldn’t help his heart from warming at the sight of how happy Chloe looked with Beca. It was everything he’d wanted for his little girl and more. This was perfect. 

“If you would all like to clear the dance-floor please, ready for the newlyweds to share their first dance with one another.” He paused as he watched family and friends clearing a noticeable space around Beca and Chloe, now lining the edges of the dance-floor, all with smiles on their faces. Beca and Chloe had turned to face each other and Beca was mumbling something into Chloe’s ear while they held hands. Jerry took another deep breath, recalling what he’d rehearsed and cleared with Beca the previous day, “We ask that you remain where you are and give this singer space while both on and off stage please.” 

Beca swallowed loudly as she turned to face Chloe, taking hold of her hands and leaning towards her wife’s ear, mumbling gently, “I love you.” 

She smiled as she watched Chloe beam at her, tears already beginning to form in her eyes while she mumbled “I love you too” back to her.  

Suddenly the guests around them gasped and mumbled and cheered and Beca knew that meant the artist she’d been working with over the past couple of months had just stepped up onto the stage. Her heart began racing and a huge smile swept over her face as she watched her wife turn to look over at the stage. Chloe’s mouth dropped open in shock. 

“Oh my God!” she cried out, turning to look at Beca, completely stunned. “Y-You’ve been working with  _Ed Sheeran_?!” 

“How else do you think I afforded all this for you?” Beca asked in an amused tone, loving how her wife had gripped her hands excitably. It had been the longest, hardest few months keeping this project a secret from the one person in her life she  _never_  kept secrets from. But it was worth it though. Because she knew just how much Chloe  _loved_  Ed Sheeran. “He’s gonna sing the song I wrote for you, Chlo.” 

Chloe turned back to the stage just as Ed Sheeran began playing the slow intro on his guitar and Beca swore she’d never seen the woman look as beautiful and  _perfect_  as she did now. The brunette squeezed her wife’s hands to regain her attention and Chloe wrapped her arms gently around Beca’s neck, their bodies pulled close against one another as they began slowly swaying to their ‘first dance song’.  

 **I found a love,**    
**For me.**    
**Darling just dive right in,**    
**And follow my lead.**  

Tears had begun to already fall down Chloe’s cheeks as she smiled affectionately at Beca who returned the smile. Beca remembered the moment she’d first thought about writing this song. She was far from a song writer that was for sure, but the love she had for Chloe seemed to eek out a side of Beca that even Beca hadn’t realised she had.  

 **Well I found a girl,**    
**Beautiful and sweet.**    
**Oh, I never knew you were the someone waiting for me.**  

Beca gently rested her forehead against her wife’s, the two women closing their eyes for a moment, enjoying this song as though they were the only two in the room. The only two in the world. Those lyrics rang so true for Beca. She’d been completely oblivious to Chloe’s adoration during the first few years that they’d known one another.  

 **‘Cause we were just kids when we fell in love,**    
**Not knowing what it was,**  

But when Beca thought about it properly, just as she had done when she’d been writing this song during one of her reluctant visits over to LA – away from Chloe – she realised that she’d probably fallen in love with Chloe far earlier than she thought. That maybe it  _had_  been love at first sight after all. When she’d just been a young eighteen year old and her thoughts had become consumed with nobody but the quirky redhead who had barged into her shower in college. Barged into her life. Pulled her through it. Through exam hell and career uncertainty. 

 **I will not give you up this time.**   

But her lack of focus back then didn’t matter now. What mattered was that Chloe was stood here in front of her. In her arms. And they were now  _married_! 

 **But darling, just kiss me slow,**    
**Your heart is all I own.**    
**And in my eyes you’re holding mine.**  

Beca pulled her forehead from Chloe’s, to look into her eyes, and they sparkled back at her, clearly over the moon with the song already. Back in the day Beca had never seen herself as someone who would willingly give her heart to anyone. She would’ve easily argued that she didn’t even have a heart to give. But Chloe had changed all that.  

 **Baby, I’m**    
**Dancing in the dark,**    
**With you between my arms.**    
**Barefoot on the grass,**    
**Listening to our favourite song.**    
**When you said you looked a mess,**    
**I whispered underneath my breath,**    
**But you heard it,**    
**Darling, you look perfect tonight.**  

 _Beca staggered a little, a sloppy grin on her face with her arms draped around Chloe’s neck._ _Her first birthday with Chloe as her girlfriend. Perfect._  

 _Chloe held onto her waist firmly, wanting_ _to support Beca as best as she could in their drunken state. They giggled while swaying slowly to a song that_ _Chloe had started playing through her phone_ _that was now in her pants pocket_ _._ _Their heels were in a little pile beside the_ _m_ _so their bare feet sunk into the cool grass,_ _relieving the hot soles of their feet._  

 _Beca let out a content sigh when_ _Chloe kissed her gently on the lips_ _. “You…” Beca slurred, “…are so…hot!” and the brunette grinned when her girlfriend let out an embarrassed giggle._  

 _“Ugh I’m_ _nooooot_ _!” Chloe protested with a soft smile, bringing one of her hands from Beca’s waist up to her own face in embarrassment, “I look a total mess!”_  

 _“You look perfect.” Beca mumbled quietly, almost wondering if Chloe had even heard her. But her girlfriend brought her hand back down to Beca’s waist, then nudged the tip of her nose with her own, “YOU_ _look_ _perfect.” she replied in a sweet, soft, drunken tone._  

 _Beca felt a warm rush of love as she closed the gap between them and_ _the_ _two slowly began making out in the middle of the grassy area outside their apartment block, having not realised they’d almost made it home from their night out in the city._   

 **Well I found a woman,**    
**Stronger than anyone I know.**  

Beca looked adoringly at Chloe, loving the way her new wife’s eyes lit up at the compliment laced within the lyrics that Ed Sheeran was singing. Chloe  _was_  strong. Beautifully epitomised how a strong woman should be.  

Beca’s mind flicking back to last spring when she and Chloe had had a visit from Beca’s father and step-mother. Cal Mitchell had been  _so_  rude to Chloe, insinuating that she was only with his daughter for Beca’s money. But Chloe hadn’t ran. She’d stuck by Beca’s side, assuring the man that she was in love with his daughter and wasn’t with her for the money. Beca knew what arguing with her father was like. The man was intimidating and stubborn. It took strength to go against what he said, and she admired Chloe’s ability to battle on.  

 **She shares my dreams,**    
**I hope that someday,**    
**I’ll share her home.**  

 _Beca lay in the large bed in their LA apartment, her phone up to her ear. Her head was turned, facing the empty side of the bed that Chloe would sleep on, and she let out a heavy sigh._  

 _“I miss you.” she said sleepily, and she heard her fiancée let out a tiny tut before replying in a sad tone._  

 _“I miss you too.”_  

 _Beca had been away in LA for four nights now. Sure, they finally had an apartment, but it still wasn’t the same without Chloe with her. Or Alba._  

 _“But don’t worry,” Chloe added quickly, trying to sound positive, “Only two more days then I’ll be over in LA for good and I can spend some quality time turning our new apartment into our new home.”_  

 _Beca smiled gently, “It’ll feel like home the second you step inside. I always feel I’m at home when I’m with you.”_  

 _She could hear the smile on Chloe’s face as she said softly, “You get soppier the longer we’re apart.”_  

 _“I can’t help being madly in love with you Chloe Beale…” was Beca’s response as she turned her body in the large bed._   

 **I found a love,**    
**To carry more than just my secrets.**  

 _Beca was sweating profusely, whimpering loudly, with tears streaming down her face. She was sat up on the windowsill of the bathroom of the house she shared with the rest of The Barden Bellas, looking down at a giant spider that had just crawled out from_ _a nearby plastic basket and was now remaining motionless in t_ _he_ _middle of the bathroom floor._  

 _The twenty one year old had shrieked loudly and had scrambled as quickly as possible as far away from the creepy crawly. The problem was_ _she_ _was also far away from_ _the bathroom door. She now had no escape. And her huge overwhelming surge of arachnophobia meant that Beca had just burst into tears._  

 _Within a matter of seconds though, Beca had heard a thundering collection of footsteps dashing down the hallway towards the bathroom, and the door crashed open. She saw Chloe pause in the doorway, breathless with a concerned expression on her face._  

 _“Wha-?” Chloe began, “What’s going on? Did you just scream?”_  

 _But Beca didn’t answer her co-captain, instead pointing at the small creature on the floor between them, tears still present on her face. Chloe took one glance down at it and seemed surprised._  

 _“It’s just a little spider Beca…” she said in an amused tone, wandering carefully over to it, crouching down, and scooping it up with her bare hand. Beca was almost sick._  

 _“I-I hate spiders.” The brunette said in a terrified tone, not tearing her eyes from Chloe’s closed hand for fear that the spider would suddenly jump out at her._  

 _“Well lucky for you, I don’t.” Chloe said with a light giggle, before whispering sweetly, “And don’t worry, I won’t tell the others.” Then with one final wink of reassurance, Beca watched as her_ _co-captain_ _wandered out of the bathroom._  

 **To carry love,**    
**To carry children of our own.**  

 _“Abigail’s a cute name, isn’t it.”_  

 _“Huh?” Beca asked, looking from the magazine she was reading down to Chloe who was resting her head on Beca’s_ _stomach. They both lay on the large bed in their Brooklyn apartment. Technically the final night that they would both be sleeping there – Beca being set to fly over to LA ahead of Chloe and Alba, who were due to join her in a few days time._  

 _“Abigail.” Chloe repeated, “For a girl’s name.”_  

 _“Uhhh…?” Beca wasn’t sure why her fiancée had suddenly started talking about baby names._  

 _“I-If you don’t like it then that’s okay. I get that we probably won’t agree on baby names when the time comes for us to have to choose.” Chloe said with a shrug, her focus resuming on the novel she was reading. But Beca swallowed loudly. She didn’t really mind what they named their children when the time came. She’d probably end up calling them ‘buddy’ or ‘twinkle’ or ‘dude’ or whatever anyway._  

 _“No, I…” Beca began, pausing for a moment as she tried to think of something good to reassure her fiancée. But she couldn’t think of anything clever or philosophical. So she just replied with a simple, “…Abigail’s a good name. I like it.”_  

 _“Yeah?” Chloe asked and Beca watched as she turned her head slightly to look up at her with those big beautiful blue eyes. And Beca smiled._  

 _“Yeah, definitely.”_  

 _“Cool. Little Abigail Beale.” Chloe said thoughtfully as she looked back down at her book and Beca swallowed loudly. Because suddenly she could imagine the sound of little feet scampering through into the bedroom to disturb their peace and quiet. But she wasn’t worried about it. She loved seeing Chloe with her nieces and nephews and couldn’t wait to see how the redhead would be as a mother to their very own child._  

 _Beca swept her hand thoughtfully through Chloe’s long red hair, while she resumed her concentration on her magazine._   

 **We are still kids but we’re so in love,**    
**Fighting against all odds.**    
**I know we’ll be alright this time.**  

Sue Beale stood on the edge of the dance-floor. Tears rolling down her cheeks as she watched her youngest child – her only daughter – slow dancing with her new wife. The love of her life. Beca was absolutely, hands down, the type person Sue and Jerry had always wanted their little girl to marry. Thoughtful, kind, and hard working. Patient and loving. Always putting Chloe first. 

 _“Jerry_ _,_ _could_ _I ask a huge favour?”_  

 _Sue and Jerry both looked up from their books that they were reading on the beautiful white sandy Hawaiian beach. They hadn’t realised Beca had found them until she’d cleared her throat on approach and she was now stood nervously in front of them._  

 _“Sure kiddo. What do you need?” Sue heard her husband ask, a kind smile on his face. She watched as Beca internally toyed with the idea of sitting on the sand in front of them, which she eventually did._  

 _“So in a couple of days time, me and Chloe are getting married, right?” Beca said awkwardly, and Sue wondered why she was so nervous. It was only them!_  

 _“Right.” The parents both responded._  

 _“Well for our first dance I’ve arranged for a singer that I’ve been working with to sing a song that I’ve written for Chloe.”_ _Both Sue and Jerry smiled broadly, little coo’s leaving their mouths_ _while a slightly embarrassed smile swept over Beca’s face, “And I wondered if you’d mind introducing him before the dance? Just to get everyone off the dance-floor and stuff?”_  

 _“Beca, I’d be honoured to!” Jerry replied and Sue watched as Beca raised her eyebrows in relief._  

 _“_ _Seriously?”_  

 _“Yeah absolutely!”_  

 _And a huge relieved expression washed over Beca’s face, her shoulders relaxing as she smiled over at her parents-in-law to be._   

 **Darling, just hold my hand.**    
**Be my girl, I’ll be your gal.**    
**I see my future in your eyes.**  

Yeah, the light was low in the room while the two new brides danced together slowly. But they both maintained eye contact, soft adoring smiles on their faces. Beca’s heart felt so full. This was everything she ever wanted in life right now. Chloe. 

Beca knew their dog would be pottering around somewhere, behaving. Alba was a good dog. She was probably stood with Aubrey or something. The Labrador liked Aubrey, probably thanks to how much Chloe used to take Alba to meet up with Aubrey when the lab was a puppy.. 

 **Baby, I’m**    
**Dancing in the dark,**    
**With you between my arms.**  

“I love how risky this is!” Stacie mumbled against Aubrey’s lips with a grin before their deep kiss was quickly resumed. The second Ed Sheeran had appeared on stage, the two women had quickly snuck away from the heaving wedding reception room, Aubrey dragging a giggling Stacie down a dark, quiet, unoccupied corridor. The blonde had quickly pushed her girlfriend up against the wall, their hands now wrapped around each other’s bodies while they made out heavily. 

“Well I figured…” Aubrey began before kissing Stacie hard again, “…people would be too…” she mumbled against the woman’s lips before kissing her again, “…busy watching Ed…” her fingers swam down the back of Stacie’s thighs to the hem of her short tight dress, “…to want to come down here.”  

Stacie let out a gasp as Aubrey bit her bottom lip, her fingers winding tighter into the thickets of her blonde hair while their kissing resumed, “God, I love you.” Stacie mumbled as she felt Aubrey slowly hitching her dress up. 

Suddenly Stacie froze. 

 **Barefoot on the grass,  
** **Listening to our favourite song.**  

Aubrey paused her movements, having noticed her girlfriend had stopped kissing her back for a moment and she opened her eyes to see that Stacie was looking at someone or some  _thing_  behind her. The blonde slowly peered nervously over her shoulder.  

 **When you said you looked a mess,**    
**I whispered underneath my breath,**  

Aubrey’s eyes fell on Alba the dog, sat behind her, and the Labrador wagged her tail the second the two women looked down at her. 

“I-Is it weird to do it in front of a dog?” Stacie asked uncertainly, her hands having drifted from Aubrey’s hair and now rested on her girlfriend’s shoulders. They were both fairly out of breath from the ferocity of their heated make-out session. And the blonde hesitated, clearing her throat. 

“I-um…” Aubrey began, wondering at what stage in her life her ‘standards’ had suddenly dropped that she was willingly okay to ‘do it’ in front of a dog. But then…it was only Alba. And the pup tended to mill about anyway. The chances were she’d soon leave and from the sounds of things the two women were quickly running out of time.  

So Aubrey took a deep breath and grinned, turning back to her girlfriend, “Nahh.”    
Stacie grinned back at Aubrey as they began resuming their heavy kissing, Aubrey’s hands having almost successfully tugged her girlfriend’s dress up to her hips. 

 **But you heard it,  
** **Darling, you look perfect tonight.**  

A guitar interlude began to play as Ed Sheeran continued to perform on the stage. Chloe let out a deep breath of content, closing her eyes as she soaked up this moment, holding Beca closer to her while they swayed slowly to the song. The song that her wife had  _written for her_. And it was beautiful!  

She felt Beca place a kiss on the nape of her neck, the woman’s arms holding her tight around her waist. This whole day had been perfect. Filled with love and laughter. Chloe had loved seeing her entire family and getting so many of them to finally meet Beca. The woman she was besotted by. The woman she’d been besotted by for a very long time now. Even long before they’d got together romantically. 

“I love you.” Chloe heard Beca mumble into her ear and the redhead smiled. 

“I love you too.” Chloe mumbled back into her wife’s ear.  

 **Baby, I’m**    
**Dancing in the dark,**    
**With you between my arms.**    
**Barefoot on the grass,**    
**Listening to our favourite song.**  

Chloe felt Beca pull her face from her body and she reciprocated the movement. The two now looking into each other’s eyes again with soft smiles on their faces.   

 **I have faith in what I see,**    
**Now I know I have met an angel in person,**    
**And she looks perfect.**  

Chloe’s heart skipped a beat when Beca winked at her, the lyrics that had just been sung possibly being the most romantic lyrics she’d ever heard. And they were all for her. Because they were  _about_  her.  

 **I don’t deserve this.**    
**You look perfect tonight.**  

It was something so uncharacteristic but as the song came to an end, Chloe watched her wife lean her face towards her and they shared a very public kiss. Beca hated ‘PDA’. But clearly the woman was so caught up in the moment that she really didn’t mind who saw at this moment in time. 

And so they kissed tenderly, only parting when their family and friends began clapping and cheering loudly. Beca turned to the stage, reluctantly letting go of her wife so she could give Ed Sheeran a round of applause, not only for a good performance but for coming all the way over here to perform it in the first place. What a dude. 


	54. Epilogue XXXVIV - The Morning After

The waves crashed on the shore while a light breeze drifted across the empty white sandy beach. Empty save for two figures that slowly walked bare foot in the sand, their fingers entwined as though their hands had been made for one another, and a young Labrador that ran ahead of them, pausing at intervals to check that her owners were following her. It was the morning after Beca and Chloe’s wedding and the two women were up uncharacteristically early considering they’d not bid goodnight to their guests until 3am.

It was now only just after three hours later. Mrs & Mrs Beale hadn’t slept, too caught up in the throes of activities expected of newlyweds on their wedding night. And as they slowly made their way across the sand to a rocky area closer to the ocean, they noticed the way the sun was eagerly awaiting to greet the horizon. It was about to rise on a new day – the first day of the rest of Beca & Chloe’s married life together. Beca pretended to be looking past Chloe at the impending sunrise, but really she had eyes for nothing and no one but her wife.

Until her eyes caught a lump by the rocks they’d just climbed and she furrowed her brow in mild amusement when she heard a familiar loud groan. Fat Amy pulled her body up from the sand, still in the outfit she’d been wearing at the wedding yesterday, and pushed her long matted blonde hair back from her face. The Australian noticed her two friends and slowly made her way up the rocks to join them, not sounding in the slightest bit dainty.

In the meantime Beca and Chloe had both found a rock to perch on while they looked out at the sun beginning to peep over the horizon, making the waves before them glitter. Beca turned and laid back, resting her head in her wife’s lap while Chloe ran the fingers of her right hand through the woman’s brown hair – avoiding the couple of plaits that had miraculously made it the whole day yesterday and their sexual activity over the past few hours. The women watched in amusement as Alba leapt onto Fat Amy’s front to lick her face and the hungover Australian grimaced, holding her hands up to try to stop the animal.  

“Alba!” Chloe said with a giggle, “Come on.” And the white Labrador did as she was told, quickly hopping off Fat Amy’s stomach (“Oof!” Amy groaned.) and trotted over to her owners.

Beca blinked slowly, feeling drowsy after such a busy twenty four hours, lack of sleep, heightened senses, and calm surroundings. She brought her arm up and Alba took it as a silent instruction to curl up with her, which the dog did. The animal let out a heavy sigh as she rested her head and front paws on Beca’s stomach.

The three Bellas and the dog watched the sun slowly begin to rise over the horizon. All was peaceful and calm. Until Chloe suddenly let out a small yelp and their attentions were all drawn to Lilly, who was sat on the other side of the redhead. Nobody knew how she did it, but the young woman was brilliant at appearing out of nowhere. It was a wonder she wasn’t a ninja.  

“Hey guys! What’re we all yelling about?”  

The three women yelped again, this time turning to see Emily, Jessica and Ashley approaching with tired expressions on their faces, clearly beginning to nurse their own hangovers. They all smiled when Alba leapt off Beca’s stomach to greet them (“Oof!” groaned Beca).

“Morning aca-wenches.” Cynthia Rose greeted in a surprisingly bright voice considering she had been knocking back jägerbombs all night, and the women on the rocks drew their eyes down to their friend’s hand that held Flo’s as they both approached. But before anyone could ask what that was all about, they noticed Aubrey and Stacie walking side by side across the white sand towards them, light smiles on their faces, keeping their hands to themselves but nudging their arms against one another here and there.

“I wonder which room they stayed in.” Fat Amy said with a teasing grin and The Bellas all grinned with her. Last night they’d all been dancing away on the dance floor together, laughing and messing around when Cynthia Rose had had an idea.

_“Photobooth!”_

_The Bellas all turned to each other and cheered at Cynthia Rose’s suggestion. Chloe’s heart hammered excitably, a grin on her face that hadn’t disappeared since the moment she and Beca had said “I do.” She grabbed her wife’s hand and tugged as hard as she could in the direction of the photobooth, giggling as she heard Beca let out a sloppy “woah!”, the alcohol still nicely flowing through both their systems._

_Chloe usually did a head-count during this situation, wanting to involve all her Bellas at all times. But it was nearing 2am or something. She just assumed they were all here. That was until she and Beca caught up with Cynthia Rose, Flo, Fat Amy, Emily, Jessica, Ashley, and Lilly. They were all huddled around something, giggling and chuckling away._

_“What’s going on?” Chloe asked curiously and Fat Amy turned to them._

_“I knew it!!” The Australian said, then held a photo set from the booth up under Beca and Chloe’s noses, “I KNEW they were sneaking around together!” and Chloe swallowed loudly, suddenly sobering slightly as she looked down at the slip of photo paper in Amy’s hand that had been left behind by the previous occupants of the booth._

_There were four separate photos on this paper. And in those photos were Stacie and Aubrey. The first was the two of them laughing about something. The second was moments later, with Stacie grinning and nuzzling into a grinning Aubrey’s neck. The third photo showed Aubrey and Stacie looking affectionately at one another, both clearly deeply besotted by each other. And the fourth photo was of Stacie and Aubrey heavily kissing, Stacie cupping Aubrey’s face while the brunette’s hand was hidden up Aubrey’s dress._

_“Well…there’s certainly no denying that.” Beca agreed, and The Bellas all cackled in delight as they tumbled into the photobooth, determined to all fit._

“Morning ladies.” Aubrey said with a calm smile on her face, letting out a light chuckle when Alba licked at her bare legs enthusiastically. Stacie, meanwhile, crouched down to welcome Alba into her arms and the Labrador lunged for the brunette, licking her chin furiously.

“Heyyy Alba.” Stacie cooed at the dog, ruffling her fur enthusiastically while Aubrey looked down at them with an affectionate expression.  

Suddenly Fat Amy cleared her throat loudly and the two women looked up from the dog to see their friends all looking at them with beaming broad grins on their faces. Aubrey swallowed loudly, her heard beating quickly. She knew what those grins meant. Those were the grins her friends had had on their faces whenever they’d used to speculate if Beca and Chloe were secretly seeing one another. Beca and Chloe were now married – no speculation necessary. So a new speculation was likely to arise.

“Can we help you, Amy?” Stacie asked with a small smile, knowing exactly why Amy was looking at her and Aubrey the way she was. Stacie didn’t know how Amy knew. But she did.

“Yeah.” Fat Amy replied, easing herself up slightly and pulling a folded piece of paper from her bra, opening it up and showing it to Aubrey and Stacie, “Don’t suppose you lost something last night?”

The colour drained from Aubrey and Stacie’s faces as their eyes fell on their photos from the photobooth session they had last night. One specifically being of them heavily kissing.

“Ah…” Aubrey mumbled while she and her girlfriend slowly wandered over to the rest of the group who were still grinning at them, “…yeeeah about that…”

“About that huh?” Fat Amy asked with a massive grin while Stacie took the photo from her, biting her bottom lip before joining Aubrey beside Chloe and Beca. “Didn’t think you had it in you, Aubrey.”

The blonde rolled her eyes, but a small smile was still on her face as Stacie leant into her body and Aubrey brought her arm around her girlfriend’s shoulders, placing a kiss on the brunette’s head. The women all looked out at the sunrise, Alba having now settled back down heavily on Beca’s stomach (“Oof!” Beca winced, then chuckled while stroking her dog’s velvety ears).  

Beca let out an involuntary light hum as her wife resumed trailing her fingers through her hair, but a small knot formed in the brunette’s stomach. This week had been one of the best of her life with the most perfect of endings. Her struggle was the upcoming week. She didn’t want to return to reality.

_“Wow…” Beca sighed breathlessly as she peered down her naked body as her wife licked her lips with a pleased expression, bringing her face up from between Beca’s legs and crawling back up the bed, “Is it possible for all that to feel a million times better because we’re now married?” she added, a lazy grin on her face while Chloe laid her body beside hers, facing her, nudging her nose playfully with her own._

_“Maybe?” Chloe said with a light chuckle, reaching her hand down to help her wife continue riding the pleasure she’d just experienced._

_And Beca let out a moan which was muffled by Chloe’s lips, mumbling a drowsy, “You’re amazing.”_

_Both were becoming more and more sober by the minute, having lost count of the amount of alcohol they’d consumed during their wedding earlier. They were now just becoming sleepy and a little hungover. Their kisses slowed, Chloe removed her hand from between Beca’s legs, and the two women sighed happily while they lay naked in each other’s arms._

_“I’m sorry I’ve got to go to work tomorrow.” Beca mumbled against Chloe’s chest, placing a loud large kiss on her skin while her eyes remained closed, and the redhead let out a small tut, stroking her hand through her wife’s hair while holding her in her arms._

_“It’s okay sweetheart,” Chloe replied in a calm voice, her eyes also closed, “Alba and I will be at home waiting for you.”_

_At the sound of her name, The Beale’s dog stood up from her spot by the door, and wagged her tail. The two women let out tiny groans when Alba began to whine._

_“Your dog wants to be let out for a wee.” Beca mumbled and Chloe let out another light groan._

_“Before sunrise she’s your dog.”_

The sun had a good amount of warmth once it had crept completely over the horizon and The Bellas let out light yawns, none having had much chance to sleep.  

“So when are we all gonna see each other again?” CR asked, smoothing her thumbs over a rock in her hands. The women all looked at each other and shrugged. They knew it didn’t matter how long it went between their meet-ups, it would always be as though they’d never parted.


	55. Epilogue XXXX - Going Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe has some news..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who still keenly follows this fic. I can’t believe it’s reached 55 chapters already when I’d only ever intended it to have 8!
> 
> From this ‘chapter’ on it will only be short chapters and there will be fairly substantial time-jumps between them. Only because (and those of you who follow my Tumblr account or have read my one-shots on AO3 will already know) I have written several chapters set in the future of this fic and I think it’s about time I start finally including them. Not quite yet. But soon.
> 
> That and I just have such a busy life now that I don’t have time to sit and write long chapters any more. Sorry!

Epilogue XXXVV - Going Back

”You should do it.” Beca said firmly, an encouraging expression on her face as she looked at her wife opposite her. They were sat at the dining table in their beautiful LA apartment. The place they’d called ‘home’ for just over eight months now. Since marrying earlier in the year, Beca had continued success as a Music Producer – finally being able to drop the title of ‘Junior’ after the raging success of Ed Sheeran’s latest album. Chloe had used her contacts from Broadway (and experience of working under the watchful eye of Gloria Delgarno) to land a job as a choreographer for a new musical which debuted in LA several weeks ago to critical acclaim. To say that Beca had been proud was an understatement. And it was that very musical that was providing Chloe with a very exciting opportunity indeed.

_Beca let out a light chuckle as she closed the front door of her LA apartment and allowed her eyes to adjust to the low lighting in the open-plan room. She was used to coming home after sunset – particularly now that it was winter – but Chloe definitely usually had more lights on than this._

_A sudden ‘tap-tap-tap’ noise was sounded and Beca watched as her dog began scuttling through to greet her from the kitchen, Alba wagging her tail while Beca crouched down to waggle her ears, “H-hey bud! What’s Mommy got going on here, huh?” she whispered, letting her satchel slide off her shoulder before standing upright. It hadn’t been unusual for Chloe to make Beca dinner in the evenings when they’d first moved here from Brooklyn. But since Chloe had started on this musical, the redhead had been out in the evenings overseeing the performances from backstage and Beca would generally join her wife after work instead - bringing Alba along too – and they would all sit backstage eating takeout together during the brief breaks._

_The brunette peered over at the dining table that had been laid for two people and had a candle in the middle, and she grinned when she saw her wife wandering through to her from the kitchen, a beer in each hand. Chloe wore a beautiful slim-fit dress that ended just above the knee, a soft smile on her face. And while Beca had always admired her wife’s figure no matter what, she could tell that right now Chloe was feeling her most confident about it._

“ _What’s all this about?” Beca asked curiously, a smile on her face while she reached out for the cool beer Chloe offered her and the redhead let out a light chuckle while she motioned for the petite producer to follow her over to the dining table._

“ _I’ve got some news.” Chloe said with an air of hope, placing her beer down in front of the place setting where she most often sat when they ate meals together, “You know that show I’ve choreographed?”_

“ _Do I!” Beca said with a curious grin, taking a seat opposite before swigging some of the beer and letting out a happy sigh. She always loved coming home, especially when Chloe was there. Even two and a half years since they’d first got together she still couldn’t believe they were finally in a relationship. She watched while her wife took a seat opposite and curled her red hair behind her ear, a nervous smile on her face. But Beca recognised that smile: Chloe was internally squealing with excitement over something.  
_

_“It’s going onto Broadway.”  
_

_“Wh-? Seriously??” Beca’s smile grew tenfold as Chloe looked at her with a coy smile, holding her hands up to try to maintain her wife’s excitement,  
_

_“They want me to move over to New York to help with the transfer.”_

“You should _definitely_ do it.” Beca confirmed with added seriousness to her tone, but her smile had softened and her heart was swelling with pride.

“But we’ve only just got here,” Chloe began anxiously, her eyebrows raising and her face scrunching up, “and the whole point of us relocating to LA was to see more of each other because of your work and-”

“-Chloe!” Beca interrupted, her smile still soft, and she reached out to take her wife’s hand, “You’ve spent the past couple of years chucking everything to the side and moving to the beat of my drum so that I can be successful in my career. I’m here. I’ve made it. Now it’s time I do the same for you.”

Beca watched as Chloe let out a heavy shaky breath and a calm smile washed over the redhead’s face, “You’re sure?”

“Positive, babe.” Beca confirmed with a nod, “It’s time we went back to The Big Apple. And it’s time we show it how kick-ass you can be.”

The Beale’s peered down at their dog who had laid down at their feet – never wanting to be too far from them when they were both home. Ever obedient. Ever dutiful.

“What d’ya say, Alba?” Beca said in a bright tone, “Time for Mommy to take Broadway by storm?”

And the two women let out loud chuckles as Alba brought her head up and wagged her tail. They were all up for it. They were going to go back to NY.


	56. Epilogue XXXVVI - The Surprise Gift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beca and Chloe receive an unexpected Christmas present...

Chloe's childhood bedroom was silent, the redhead tucked up under the bedcovers, sleeping heavily while snuggled into her wife's petite body – Beca's arms wrapped comfortably around her. Laid faithfully on the floor at the foot of the bed was their dog, Alba, her head resting on her paws while dozing on and off. Her ears continued to twitch, however, picking up the chatting sounds coming from the bedroom where the young Beale children 'slept' – Beca and Chloe's nephews and nieces – a few rooms down from where the two women slept.

Christmas Day was always a huge deal in the Beale family – Jerry and Sue both loving having their three sons and daughter over for the holiday season, with all of their daughter-in-laws and subsequent grandchildren in tow. The large house was full to the brim with laughter and happiness and food and games and all the things that a Christmas holiday was supposed to be like. This was Beca's third Christmas spent with the family, and her first ever Christmas as a 'Beale by marriage'. Of course the second Beca and Chloe had arrived at the house yesterday afternoon they'd immediately been engulfed with hugs and shrieks of delight from their nieces and nephews, all battling to hug their favourite Aunts as tight as possible. This had left the two women with no choice but to giggle merrily, looking over at the children's parents who watched in amusement. Now, however, both Beca and Chloe Beale slept peacefully in the large bed that had once been Chloe's growing up.

Alba's head shot up at the sound of loud whispers and giggles that increased in volume the closer to the outside of the bedroom door the owners of those voices became. The Labrador scrambled up to her feet, stretching and letting out a yawn, before padding over to the door, her tail wagging. Her owners had absolutely no idea about the noise that was going to fill the bedroom at any moment.

Suddenly the door burst open and Beca and Chloe jumped out of their skins as The Beale kids all tumbled into the room, crying out in delighted voices, "It's Chriiiiiistmas!"

Beca let out a loud groan – a default reaction to being woken before she was ready - bringing her arms from around her wife, taking hold of the pillow under her head and ducking under it for safety. But it only made the children laugh; the twins, Jack and Oliver, scrambling up onto her side of the bed while Sammy was already busy squishing himself between his aunts to tug the pillow from Beca's hands. Eva, now being a teenager, wasn't part of the noisy convoy – choosing to sleep in as many teenagers would – so that was technically one less noisy kid to have to try to fit on the bed. But the baby of the gaggle, Ellie, was no longer a baby – the four year old not really understanding how boisterous she could be. Beca let out a loud "oof!" as the youngest Beale landed on her stomach with a giggle, and that was when Chloe decided her niece and nephews needed to calm down.

"Okay everybody  _stop_!" Chloe called out loud and firm. The kids, having never heard their aunt sound so firm before immediately froze and turned to look at Chloe, the colour draining from their faces. Chloe let out a light exhale, her voice softening, "Darlings could you  _please_  be gentle with your Auntie Beca," and she scooped her youngest niece from her wife's stomach, dragging her off and onto her lap instead, "you know she's not keen on early morning wake-ups."

Beca eased herself up in the bed, letting out a huge sigh of relief as three of their nephews around her stopped clambering over her and snuggled slightly under the bedcovers to hug her waist instead. She smoothed her hands through their hair affectionately then looked over at her wife gratefully, and Chloe smiled gently at her. The redhead had both Ellie and Noah on her lap – impressive really when you considered Noah was a whole seven years old now. The final nephew onto the bed was the eldest – Hunter – who sat at the bottom of the bed with Alba (who had taken advantage of her owners distractions and had lumbered up onto the mattress) and Max (Samuel and Ellie's Labrador who had just done as his best bud Alba did).

It was like their own little family gathering, and Beca took the time to take note of how nice it felt: the idea of she and Chloe in bed with their children and their dogs one morning. Really nice.

"Can we go into Grandma and Grandad's room yet?" Ellie asked in her little voice and Beca grinned over at the four year old.

"That depends kiddo. What time is it?"

All eight Beale's turned their attention to The Little Mermaid clock that stood on the bedside table beside Chloe. For those children who could tell the time, their eyes lit up; for those children who couldn't tell the time they furrowed their brows. Beca and Chloe smiled gently.

"It's 6.30!" Sammy squeaked in delight and the children (except for eleven year old Hunter – who was getting a little more reserved the older he became) let out loud cheers. Beca and Chloe chuckled as the dogs and children scrambled off the bed, quickly disappearing out of the bedroom to ram into their grandparents' bedroom so they could start opening the 'Stocking Presents'.

Chloe turned to her wife who was already looking at her affectionately, and a smile swept over her face, "Happy Christmas, Sweetheart." she whispered, leaning her face towards Beca's.

"Happy Christmas." Beca mumbled back with a calm smile on her face, leaning towards Chloe. They shared a gentle kiss, both still imagining what their life may be like in years to come when they hopefully had children of their own, then quickly snapped apart when they heard someone clear their throat loudly in the doorway. Beca and Chloe turned to see that Johnny – Chloe's middle brother – had stopped in the doorway just as they'd kissed. He had a teasing grin on his face, but his cheeks were flushed, and Chloe wondered if her big brother was actually a little  _embarrassed_  to see his little sister kissing in front of him.

"You've had all night to do that." Johnny said with a grin, chuckling when Beca and Chloe cleared their throats nervously, "Better get into Mom and Dad's room for presents or the kids will hunt you down." Because The Beale's always waited for the whole family to be in the bedroom before the kids were allowed to open any presents. And it truly tested the children's patience sometimes..

—

The Beale's, like every Christmas, were crammed into Jerry and Sue's bedroom, every person in the room donning a set of Christmas pyjamas – Beca included (the pyjamas she was wearing at that moment in time having been her 'present chest gift' from last Christmas). The adults were all watching as Hunter held the lid to the 'Present Chest' up while the younger children eagerly grappled to pick out the gifts within, ready to hand out to the grown ups in the room.

To Beca and Chloe's surprise and mild confusion, Jack and Oliver wandered over with a large thin rectangular gift that had been addressed to both Beca  _and_  Chloe from 'Santa'. The two women peered at the size of the gift, wondering what the hell it could be. Then Chloe looked up at her parents, her father busy directing his grandchildren. But Chloe's mother was looking at her with an eager grin. Something was going on…

Excruciatingly, it was a unanimous vote from Chloe's parents, brothers, and sisters-in-law, that Beca and Chloe should open their gift last. So the two young women had to wait as patiently as possible while the other adults in the room opened their gifts from Santa.

"What do you think it is?" Beca mumbled quietly into her wife's ear, but Chloe just shrugged, shaking her head slightly.

"I've got no idea!" Chloe whispered back. And she really didn't. She'd had twenty nine Christmas' in this family and had never seen a gift from the Present Chest so big before. The gifts were usually just a little something from the bargain containers in Walmart. A little something to open. But nothing like this – the present stretching flat across both their laps.

Finally the time came when Beca and Chloe could finally open their joint gift. Sammy, Jack, Oliver, Noah, and Ellie waded through the gift wrap that was strewn all over the floor and stood in front of their Aunts, watching them unwrap with eager anticipation. All eyes were trained on the gift.

"Um.." Beca began with a furrowed brow as she let her wife hold the gift up to inspect it further, "..wow..thanks Santa.." she eventually said in a confused tone. The gift was a 'welcome mat' for a front porch. Except..Beca and Chloe didn't  _have_  a front porch. And Beca wondered if The Beale's (uh.. _Santa_ ) had really thought this gift through..

"It's lovely but…we don't exactly have a front porch to put this in guys." Chloe said with an air of caution, bringing the mat down to look over at her parents apologetically. But Jerry and Sue just grinned at their daughter.

"Why don't you open this, Twinkle." Jerry said kindly, holding out an envelope towards Beca and Chloe, and Sammy quickly dashed over to his Grandad to collect the envelope to pass to his Aunts. Beca and Chloe took the envelope nervously, and Chloe peered at the familiar handwriting on the front.

"It's a card from Grandmother?" the redhead asked rhetorically, looking up at her parents and siblings who were all looking at her with calm smiles on their faces. Grandmother Richmond had taken all of them by surprise earlier in the year at Beca and Chloe's wedding by approaching Beca and telling her how pleased she was to see her only Granddaughter – her youngest Grandchild, Chloe – looking so happy. Sue's strict mother had then gone on to pat Beca kindly on the arm before wandering off, leaving The Beale's and Beca stunned at the positive interaction.

"It's…a picture of a house…" Beca said in a confused tone, pulling the card from the envelope.

"Oh, it's Grandmother's House!" Chloe said with a soft coo, smiling at the photo on the front of the card. She loved that big old house and it's beautiful white picket fence around the edges of the ample garden. She and her brothers had had many a happy childhood memory made there. Both Beca and Chloe were too busy reading the handwritten message within to notice Jerry and Sue look to one another then over to their sons who were all smiling happily at their little sister.

Chloe and Beca's mouths both dropped open as they reached the end on the words in the card. Their hearts were racing and Beca kept reading and re-reading the words while Chloe took the time to snap her attention up to her parents.

"Is…" Chloe began, taking a moment to pause and drink in their kind expressions, "…is she serious?" and her parents nodded gently, letting out soft "Uhuh"s.

"But.." Beca began, her heart racing as she joined her wife in looking at the couple sat up in their bed calmly, "..this is an _entire house_! We-We...can't possibly accept this!"

"Why not?" Sue asked, as though what was being offered was the most simplest thing on the planet, "That house has been handed down to the first female of each generation in my family line since it was built a couple of hundred years ago."

Chloe looked up from the card and let out a heavy sigh to try to contain her excitement when she realised what this meant. Her mother continued to explain kindly while her father and brothers nodded.

"Now, you are the next female. It will be yours. Then become your daughter's. Then  _her_  daughter's. And so on-"

"-but Mom." Chloe interrupted, "You're still  _here_. Shouldn't it go to you first?"

It was odd talking about property like this. It was as though Grandmother Richmond had passed away already when she hadn't. The woman had been struggling to care for herself in that giant house alone, so she'd finally conceded that she needed to go to a care home, thus finding reason to pass her house down to her daughter as her mother had done to her.

"And it did sweetheart." Sue explained gently to her daughter, "But your father and I agreed that we didn't need the property. We're happy where we are. It's you and Beca who are looking for somewhere commutable to NYC, and your job over on Broadway starts next month. Why not make this opportunity the beginning of your next new adventure as a married couple – setting up home together."

Chloe was stunned, a soft smile gracing her face while she looked down at the card in her hand. Her eyes inspecting the house a little closer. This was…this was going to be her and Beca's  _home_. It was big and beautiful and  _perfect_!

"Sue, we-" Beca began in an awkward tone, clearly about to insist again that they couldn't possibly accept this  _very_  kind gift, but Jerry held a hand up and said in a firm but kind tone:

"Beca, believe me. If there's one thing I've learnt over the years of being married into this particular line of the family, it's that you never protest against Alice Richmond. Ever. If she wants to give you a house, you take it."

Beca paused then looked down at the card in her wife's hand. A whole house? With Beca's past couple of years of success in the music industry coupled with her impeccable ability to keep an eye on their money and the addition of Chloe's impending success on Broadway – well it wasn't as though they couldn't afford a house of their own. But this home right here had the addition of sentimental value. With no real outgoings other than bills and travel, Beca and Chloe (and Alba) would definitely be able to live comfortably.

The brunette looked up at her in laws, then over at her wife's brothers. What about them? They had families of their own. Surely one of them would better deserve it than she and Chloe did?

"It's alright, Beca." Michael confirmed with a kind smile.

"Yeah we've always known Chlo-Bo would get Grandmother's house eventually." Ryan agreed with a shrug, and Johnny nodded too:

"Might as well have it now while you're both still young."

Beca took a sharp intake of breath and turned to her wife. Chloe was already looking at her with tears in her eyes and a smile on her face that Beca could tell the woman was holding back on so she didn't scare her. But there was no way Chloe could ever scare Beca. They'd known each other for over seven years now..

"Then it looks like we're moving to Connecticut." Beca said with a shrug, a broad smile growing on her face, and Chloe let out a light squeak of delight.

"Ewwwww!" came the chorus of voices from all The Beale children as they watch their Aunts kiss and Beca and Chloe quickly snapped apart with coy grins while the other adults in the room got to their feet. The Beale's made their way over to Beca and Chloe one by one, hugging and congratulating them on what would be their new home. And both Beca and Chloe hugged them all back – still unable to believe all that was happening. They were finally going to be homeowners!


	57. Epilogue XXXXII - Glamorous Assistants

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beca gets a visit from Aubrey and Stacie...

Beca sat at the large table in the kitchen of the house they now owned in Connecticut, scraping her spoon around the edges of the bowl, trying to collect every drop of the delicious fruity breakfast oats her wife had prepared before heading out to work. When the brunette was satisfied that she couldn’t scoop any more oats from her bowl she paused and glanced down to her right. Alba sat obediently on the floor beside her. The Labrador wasn’t really a dog that begged, something both Beca and Chloe were very proud of, but she _did_ have this terrible habit of innocently watching her owners while they ate – no matter where they were or what time of day. They could be sat with a group of their friends or family. And Alba would _still_ just stare at Beca or Chloe or both of them. Beca blamed her wife of course. Chloe had given Alba tiny scraps of food since the lab had been a small puppy. Now Alba tried her luck at each mealtime.

The problem was, all Beca had to do was take one look into those deep brown puppy-dog eyes and she caved each time. Yeah, the brunette blamed her wife for starting this whole ‘giving Alba scraps’ thing – but Beca didn’t help matters. So with a light sigh she rolled her eyes.

“Alright alright.” she conceded, handing the bowl down to her dog, “If you think there’s any food left to lick up of course.” she added with a relaxed grin. They’d been living here for three weeks now and Beca was still trying to get used to this morning routine of Chloe getting up and out of bed before her every day. Beca was in the fortunate position of now being able to coordinate projects with artists so that _they_ came to _her_ office at Residual Heat’s NYC Headquarters. And that those face-to-face meetings and recording sessions only required her to drive down to Downtown Manhattan when the artists were in town, or if there were company meetings she was required to attend. Otherwise, Beca’s brilliant reputation following the success of her production of Ed Sheeran’s latest record meant that the brunette could work from home for a lot of the week. A perfect setup considering Chloe’s impending Broadway musical required her attention six days a week for now, leaving Beca in charge of redecorating their new home and keeping Alba company.

The doorbell rang, still an alien ‘ding dong’ that echoed around the large home that Mrs & Mrs Beale were still in the process of filling with furniture and new belongings – having never really owned that much in their old apartment. Beca stood up from the kitchen table with a tired sigh, having not got up too long ago, and she grinned while she watched her dog scampering through the kitchen then the lounge and through to the entrance hall of the house. Beca popped her bowl on the side and made her way over to the front door. She knew exactly who it was. And they were early.

“Your glamorous assistants are here and ready to wave a magic wand in that spare room of yours!” Stacie said in an excitable tone once Beca had opened the front door, motioning to herself and Aubrey as they stood on the front porch with big smiles on their faces. They immediately crouched down to greet Alba who had dove for them, wagging her tail excitably, and the three women all giggled at the dog.

“I _still_ maintain that I could’ve painted the spare room on my own but-” Beca began.

“-but your too short and your wife knows best.” Aubrey finished for her, a cheeky grin on her face as she and Stacie both stood up tall, standing a good foot and a bit above the brunette and Beca rolled eyes.

“Not exactly what I was gonna say but whatever…” and she stepped aside, motioning for them to enter the house for the first time.

Aubrey and Stacie let out hushed “woooowww”s as they looked at the house around them in awe and wonder. Yes the house was noticeably dated. There was still some unfortunate shaggy carpets in the hallway, up the large staircase, and along the upstairs hallway too. But Beca had plans to pull it all up and spruce up the floorboards beneath. And the wallpaper in most of the rooms needed removing and the walls repainting. And all the light fittings need modernising. And more plug sockets were required. But…well Beca was going to ensure it was all done by the end of this year at the latest.

“This is like…a billion times bigger than our place.” Stacie said honestly, her eyebrows raised, peering through the door to the lounge.

“Um…well it’s maybe not _quite_ a billion times bigger, babe.” Aubrey corrected her girlfriend in an amused tone, grinning at Beca, “But it’s definitely impressive.” 

“Can we have a tour??” Stacie asked excitably, turning on the spot to look at the petite woman before them. Beca shrugged. She forgot this was what people expected whenever they came to the house – which wasn’t often. So far the only people Beca and Chloe had had here were Chloe’s parents, and the neighbours.

 

_Beca stepped out of the driver’s side of their hire car that had been ready and waiting for them at JFK airport when they’d landed just over two hours ago. The Beale’s were both tired and hungry. But they stood on their respective sides of the vehicle, looking up at their house in wonder. It was big. Like, way bigger than Beca had expected from the photo she’d been provided. And it was now their home!_

_“Life’s pretty awesome huh?” Chloe said in a light voice, and Beca turned to look at her wife with a soft smile. The redhead was looking up at the building with a content expression on her face and Beca felt her body relax. All she ever wanted was for Chloe to be happy. And she knew that the two of them being here, living in this house, making it their forever home would make Chloe the happiest woman in the world, and by default would also make Beca the happiest woman in the world too._

_“Yeah. Yeah it really is.” Beca agreed gently, a soft smile still on her face. Chloe turned to look at her and Beca gave her a wink, “Love you Mrs Beale.”_

_Chloe let out an excitable squeal and Beca chuckled. Her wife still got excited whenever she told her she loved her. And adding the ‘Mrs Beale’ bit made Chloe all the more excitable._

_“Love you too Mrs Beale.” Chloe added with a grin._

_“Chloe??” came a curious voice, calling out from over the small picket white fence, and the two women looked to see a couple in their early seventies slowly making their way towards them from the house next door. Beca watched as her wife waved at the strangers and remembered that her wife had grown up here during the summers of her childhood. It was natural for Chloe to know the neighbours._

_“Chloe Beale it IS you!” the old woman said with a broad smile, reaching her hands out, and Chloe let out a chuckle while she received a hug from the couple, “My goodness you’ve grown even more beautiful than you were as a child!” the woman complimented and Chloe blushed, muttering her thanks._

_“And my God, Martha, doesn’t she look just like her mother!” the man said, beaming down at her. Beca slowly approached the small group, a polite smile on her face. She hated meeting new people, but she wasn’t so phased about it when she was with her wife. Chloe tended to lead most conversations which was always a relief._

_“When we heard that you were moving here we were absolutely thrilled, weren’t we Brian.” Martha said to her husband, and the man nodded in agreement with a broad smile still on his face._

_“Yes, and when we heard you’d got married earlier in the year too? Well…!” Brian said, clearly thrilled that there was a young couple to bring a bit of life back into the increasingly ageing neighbourhood, “It’ll be wonderful to see children growing up around here again.” Brian jumped as he received a firm jab in the ribs by his wife, “Uh…when the time comes of course.”_

_“We can’t wait to meet your husband, dear!” his wife said brightly, her hand over Chloe’s arm. And that was when both Beca and Chloe hesitated. Living in LA for the past year - most people were so preoccupied with their own lives that they never batted an eyelid about Beca and Chloe’s relationship status. But this sleepy little slice of suburbia was about to have a bit of a shake-up courtesy of new residents Mrs & Mrs Beale._

_“Oh...um...Mrs Caley...I-I don’t actually have a husband.” Chloe replied cautiously, not overly sure how the elderly couple would react. And they certainly looked confused. But Beca felt as though now was the time to step in, and she lent towards them slightly from her position by Chloe’s side, a purse-lipped smile on her face._

_“Hi I’m Beca.” she said in as bright a voice as possible, holding her hand out for Brian and Martha to shake. And they did so with furrowed brows._

_“I’m sorry, I don’t understand..” Martha began and Chloe motioned politely to Beca with a bright smile, far from afraid to introduce her._

_“This is Beca, my wife.”_

_“Oh..” came the equal reactions from The Caley’s, and if Beca and Chloe knew the couple better they would probably laugh. The older adults looked stunned_

_“Well…” Martha began, her eyes flitting down to the way Beca held an arm around the small of Chloe’s back while Chloe reciprocated, and the woman took a deep breath before forcing a smile onto her face, “…how very…MODERN of you!”_

 

Alba scuttled up the stairs ahead of the three humans who were slowly following her. Beca had shown Aubrey and Stacie around the downstairs floor of the house: the lounge, the kitchen, the dining room, the ‘box room’ (which was a large room filled with cardboard boxes that The Beale’s were yet to unpack – Beca still wasn’t sure what to turn that room into.)

“So are you guys all set for the grand launch of _Cara Mia_ next week?” Beca asked as they reached the top of the stairs with a light sigh. She could hear Alba’s paws padding about in the ‘second bedroom’ – the one with bare floorboards and no furniture that made the room extra echoey.

“Yep, all set, and we’ve even managed to snag an interview with Buzzfeed!” Stacie said as she followed Aubrey into the nearest room.

About eight months ago Aubrey and Stacie had decided not only were they sick of _secretly_ dating, they were also sick of not being able to see each other very often. Having been in a relationship for three years, they’d decided the only way that they could successfully make that giant leap out of the closet, and still be taken seriously, would be to set up a business together. So using the money that Aubrey had saved over the years running the retreat ‘Lodge of Fallen Leaves’, the money that Stacie earned during her ever successful modelling career, Stacie’s famous status, and Aubrey’s business skills – the two women had decided to go down the route of creating a children’s clothing line. The choice of the name ‘ _Cara Mia_ ’ came from Stacie’s upbringing with her late Grandmother – the woman having been Italian and having always fondly called her Grandchildren ‘Cara Mia’ which translated as “My beloved”.

The couple self-confessed that they didn’t have much exposure to children per-say. But Stacie was confident that she had a good eye for fashion, and Aubrey was confident that she had a good eye for business. And that was the main thing that drove them forward. Four months ago Aubrey quit her job and she and Stacie moved to a pretty little neighbourhood thirty minutes from NYC. Their home was small, but suited their busy lifestyle. And it was all theirs. Their first home together. While Aubrey got to work with the business, Stacie took up modelling work that her agent got for her in the city, which meant Aubrey and Stacie finally got the chance to be together far more than they ever had done before. And it seemed to be suiting them a treat.

“Wow, Buzzfeed. Nice one.” Beca mused as she stepped into the first of two spare bedrooms, this being dubbed ‘the second bedroom’ as it was the next largest room. Alba stood obediently by Beca’s feet while she motioned to the room around her, “So this is the first spare room. The one I need your help painting.”

“Perfect size for a nursery..” Aubrey said with a grin, shooting Beca a wink, and Beca blushed.

“Uh..yeah, well..I was planning on the other spare room being the nursery. This will be the guest bedroom.” she replied with a shrug, wandering over to the large window so she could ignore the massive grins on her friend’s faces.

“Oh so you’ve got it all figured out then?” Stacie teased, joining Beca by the window while Aubrey inspected the walk-in closet. Beca shrugged again. If she’d been told back in college that by the time she was in her late twenties she’d be looking forward to having children she would’ve laughed loudly in disbelief. But then she also would’ve never have believed that she’d be married to _Chloe_ and that she’d be planning on having those children _with_ Chloe. Ever since she’d started settling down with the redhead though, ever since getting Alba and having become rather attached to Chloe’s nieces and nephews, Beca conceded that yeah she definitely _could_ see her and Chloe’s future being filled with kids and the sound of their footsteps dashing through this house while their laughter echoed around each room.

“I mean it’s not going to be quite yet because Chloe’s got her Broadway show still in the works and I’m super busy with work and the house and stuff but…yeah it’s definitely in the plan for somewhere down the line, sure.”

Aubrey began wandering over to them with a smile that revealed just how pleased she was with this news. She’d always known how much Chloe wanted to be a mother. It was good to hear Beca talking so openly about the prospect.

“So you’ve done a massive spreadsheet and budget?” Aubrey asked and Beca let out a light embarrassed chuckle.

“Umm…”

“That’s a yes!” Stacie burst with a loud chuckle, nudging Beca with her elbow and Beca raised her index finger, trying to look as serious as possible.

“It’s for like _five_ years time!” she lied, but it was enough for her friends to stop teasing her. She _had_ created a spreadsheet, but ideally she was looking at her and Chloe hopefully trying for a family in the next two years – it was definitely Chloe’s hope to start having babies in her early thirties rather than late. Beca planned on researching into their options once they’d got the house a little more decorated and cosy, checking out the costs, then broaching the subject with her wife. That was Beca’s thing – organising their finances and sticking it in a spreadsheet.

“I’m going to grab the overalls from the car.” Aubrey said as she began making her way out of the ‘second bedroom’, Alba promptly following her with a wagging tail. Beca had to admit, the blonde was looking the best she’d ever looked. Clearly the new lifestyle of setting up her own business with her girlfriend of three years was working out really well for her. And living in New York now too, only a forty minute drive from Beca and Chloe? Perfect.

“So I’m thinking of proposing to Aubrey..” Stacie suddenly said in a low voice, aware of how echoey the empty room was and how her girlfriend hadn’t _quite_ left the house yet. A big grin grew on Beca’s face as she brought her fist out to playfully thump her friend’s arm.

“ _Dude_! That’s awesome!” the smaller brunette whispered, understanding the need to also keep her voice low, and a content smile spread across Stacie’s face.

“Yeah, things have just been so amazing since we got our place together and started setting up the business…and with Aubrey’s Dad surprising both of us by being _so_ okay with us being in a relationship together-”

Beca remembered how terrified both Aubrey and Stacie had been having to tell Aubrey’s strict father that his only daughter was in a relationship with another woman. But surprisingly the man had been impressed that Aubrey had found someone with such a successful career that he seemed to overlook the fact that the two were in a gay relationship.

“-I’ve thought about how cool it’d be to finally be able to call her my wife.” Stacie explained, letting out a light happy sigh. She paused then turned to look at Beca nervously, “She’d say yes…right?”

“Are you kidding?” Beca blurted with a grin, “Of _course_ she’d say yes, dude! She and Chloe talk about it all the time!”

“Th-They do?”

“Yeah!”

“Did she have specifics? Because I’ve kinda already mapped stuff out.” Stacie began to look worried and Beca felt guilty. She remembered how stressful and nerve wracking preparing to propose to Chloe was.

“So long as it comes from you, she’ll be totally fine Stace. Honest!”

“Phew.” Stacie said with a heavy sigh, and they both heard the car door slam closed outside. Aubrey would soon be making her way back inside. “I’m actually thinking of proposing to her then we get married later that same day or something…do you think she’d be mad if we did?”

Beca hesitated. She had no idea. She really didn’t know Aubrey as well as her wife did. The conversation was due to come to an abrupt end very soon as the sound of the blonde’s footsteps were heard making their way up the staircase, along with the quick patter of Alba’s paws.

“Better check with Chloe,” Beca whispered honestly, “she’d be able to give you a more definitive answer.”

“Right. Thanks.” was all Stacie was able to whisper back before Aubrey strode into the room with two sets of overalls folded neatly in her hand and a bright smile on her face.

“Tada!” Aubrey said brightly, and both Stacie and Beca cleared their throats nervously. They were the worst at trying to keep secrets..


	58. Epilogue XXXXIII - The Slacks

 

Chloe let out a heavy sigh as she switched the ignition of her car off. She'd made it. Four long months of planning and re-choreographing and organising and long six-day weeks. Tomorrow was finally going to be the night of the show's first preview on Broadway. Chloe was looking forward to not having to go home late at night in the dark. Perhaps she'd feel less exhausted getting home earlier in the evening than 11pm each night?

The redhead peered out of the front window and grimaced. The rain clattered heavily on the windscreen – odd weather for mid-July but New York was no stranger to unusual weather from time to time. The last thing she wanted was to have to get completely soaked on her quick dash from the car to her house. But if she didn't do so now then she would be running the risk of falling asleep in her car she was that tired. So with a deep breath, the redhead grabbed her handbag, pulled her car keys from the ignition, and chucked herself out of the parked vehicle.

She let out a light squeak while dashing through the puddles, cursing her terrible choice in footwear, and lunged for the dry porch. Chloe let out several sharp exhales, looking down at her drenched clothes to assess the situation. There was no hiding the fact that she'd just ran through the rain – she was soaked.

The woman unlocked the front door and shunted her way inside. Then she paused, her brow slightly furrowed. No lights were on downstairs – which she wasn't surprised about considering it was headed towards midnight on a Wednesday evening. But there was a dim light on upstairs, the sound of music being played loudly along with the sound of… _drilling_.

Chloe hadn't been aware of any purchase of a drill by herself or her wife. In fact, she couldn't be sure what on Earth required drilling upstairs anyway. So she gently closed the door behind her, calling out a "Hello?" to no answer.

The redhead locked the front door and dropped her handbag down onto the floor. She heard the recognisable sound of scampering paws and blunt claws on wooden flooring as Alba appeared from nowhere, wagging her tail ferociously in greeting. Chloe let out a light chuckle, waggling the Labrador's ear affectionately before looking upstairs.

"What's Mama up to, huh?" She asked the dog rhetorically, and Alba quickly scampered up the large staircase, Chloe following behind, slowly ascending it with a curious smile on her face. She hated the way she currently 'squished' due to how wet her clothes were, but she was a little preoccupied with the noises from upstairs for it to affect her mood too much.

The drilling stopped and the distinct sound of her wife's voice sang out to the song that Chloe now recognised as one of the original songs from her show. She smiled gently. Beca still had the most beautiful singing voice. And though Chloe had tried to get her wife to have her name put in the show's Broadway programme, to boast about the fact that incredible music producer Beca Mitchell had in fact produced the incredible songs that were now available on digital download from the musical – Beca had refused. The brunette had insisted that 'Showstoppers' was _Chloe's_ success not hers. So Beca refused to have her name attached to the show other than as Chloe Beale's wife (whenever news articles chose to write about the show).

Chloe reached the top of the staircase, and noticed the light was coming from the spare bedroom. The one down the end that they'd casually agreed last week would make a wonderful nursery one day. She slowly made her way towards the door, pushing through it to stand in the doorway, and her heart skipped a beat at the sight before her.

Beca was stood with her back to the door, her hands on her hips while she inspected a short, wife bookcase that Chloe hadn't ever seen before. The new piece of furniture stood along a wall. And Chloe noted the drill at her wife's feet. Clearly this had been what Beca had been drilling.

Alba wandered over to Beca and sat beside her, looking up at the new bookshelf, her head cocked to the side slightly. Chloe smiles as her wife looked down at their dog and patted her on the head.

"What do you think?" Beca asked the Labrador over the sound of the music playing, her focus still on the bookshelf, "Big enough for all those kids books Mommy's got stored up in the loft?"

Chloe stepped a little further into the room, making her wife jump when she answered, "Definitely."

Her eyes remained on Beca as the brunette turned to her with a smile. Chloe's gaze drifted down to the white vest, jeans, and black slacks that her wife currently wore. Her stomach swam with desire. She had to admit, Beca looked really hot in her 'DIY' clothes.

"Thought I'd put that drill your Dad lent me to good use." Beca replied with a grin, noting the way her wife was checking her out. "Good rehearsal?"

Chloe approached the brunette, placing a kiss on her lips before nodding with a hum, "Best one yet." she replied in an optimistic tone, and they both let out light chuckles while Chloe placed her hands on Beca's hips.

"Like what you see, Beale?" Beca asked, cocking her eyebrow slightly while her eyes flickered down to her wife's lips and Chloe nodded. The woman's fingers slipped under the slacks, skimming up Beca's front thoughtfully.

" _Loving_ the slacks, Beale." Chloe replied to her wife.

They both hesitated for a moment, enjoying the chance to be stood like this with each other for what felt like the first time in forever. The past few months had been so busy that Chloe had had little energy to do anything more than get home from work and collapse on the couch in front of the TV or straight into bed to sleep. And Beca had happily let her, understanding how her wife could be so exhausted. So this current interaction was refreshing for the couple, whose life here in Connecticut had become so busy that most romance had gone out the window.

Chloe tugged her bottom lip between her teeth, breathing in deeply through her nose and she straightened up. Beca's slacks were let go with a 'snap', and the redhead slowly stepped backwards, "I need a shower."

"You _do_ need a shower." Beca agreed with a grin, bending down to pick the drill up from the floor, ready to put it away, "You're soaked."

"Mmm.." Chloe agreed, hovering in the doorway, a mischievous smile on her face, "..wanna join me?"

She watched in delight as Beca immediately paused, the drill in her hand and her mouth dropped open with a small smile on her face. The brunette choked out a "Seriously?" and Chloe nodded.

"Because if you're too tired then-" But Beca was quickly interrupted by her wife, whose eyebrows had risen seriously:

"-I'm only offering once tonight, babe. You can take it or leave it."

And Chloe grinned as she watched Beca quickly stoop down to drop the drill, the woman mumbling " _Definitely_ taking it…" before dashing towards her with a grin. Chloe let out a giggle as her wife threw her arms around her neck, tugging her into a firm deep kiss.

They may have had a dry spell over the past few months, but that dry spell was soon to end as Beca and Chloe led one another – giggling between kisses – towards their bedroom en-suite, already peeling clothes from each other's body.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading :) comments and shares are always appreciated!


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